A patient who had been infected with bird flu was released on Tuesday by a hospital in the East Java provincial capital Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia.

The patient had been treated at Dr. Soetomo state hospital since mid-May, after being treated at another hospital in his hometown Kediri, Antara news agency quoted Urip Murtedjo, a hospital spokesman, as saying.

"Medically, he is declared free from the disease," Urip said.

The patient was admitted to a hospital in Kediri with high fever, respiratory problems and cough -- all symptoms of bird flu.

The patient's father said his son frequently collected chicken feathers for his handicrafts before he was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus.

There was an average of one bird flu death in the country every 2.5 days last month, bringing Indonesia's death toll to 37, following Vietnam's 43 deaths. The World Health Organization confirmed the latest death in the country Sunday, a 15-year-old boy, Indonesian health officials said.

Source: Xinhua