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toddler whose brother died of bird flu while being taken to hospital earlier this month become the country’s second casualty of the deadly virus this year.

ASR, 5, from Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, died on Monday after receiving treatment at the Persahabatan hospital in East Jakarta since Jan. 10, the Health Ministry announced on Thursday.

The ministry’s research center said that it was confirmed on Jan. 13 that she had been infected with H5N1, after testing negative several times.

“In the earlier examinations, the bird flu was not detected. It appeared after we conducted several tests,” said Tjandra Yoga Aditama, the ministry’s disease control and environmental health chief.

Tjandra said that her condition deteriorated quickly before her death.

“Previously, she had shown good physical improvement. That’s why we took her out of the intensive care unit,” he said.

ASR is said to have often accompanied her brother, PDY, to watch pigeons around their neighborhood. The siblings were believed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus from a sick pigeon.

Tjandra said that his office had monitored people living with the siblings, as well as neighbors, to prevent the disease from spreading. “Up until now, we haven’t received any complaint regarding with the disease,” he said.

Since the first detection of bird flu in Indonesia in 2005, the ministry had recorded 184 cases, with 152 casualties. — JP