Australia is funding 10,000 doses of an anti-viral medicine to protect health workers and is contributing to a World Health Organisation team that is going to Jakarta. Two girls in Jakarta have died after showing bird flu symptoms, while nine others have been quarantined. The Indonesian Government says an epidemic could break out at any time.
Mr Abbott also says he has been assured by Australian health officials that there is still only a 10 percent chance of this strain of bird flu mutating and developing into a human bird flu pandemic. "Ten to one shots do come home at the races, but more often than not they don't," he said.
Meanwhile, the federal Opposition has accused the Government of dragging its feet on devising a scheme to protect Australia from a potential outbreak of bird flu.
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