October 11, 2006

Egypt detects new bird flu case
 

Egypt has detected its first human case of H5N1 bird flu virus since May in an Egyptian woman who raised ducks from her home, a World Health Organisation official said on Tuesday (Oct 11).

Hassan el-Bushra, regional adviser for communicable diseases surveillance at the World Health Organisation, said the new infection brings the number of human cases in Egypt to 15, of whom six have died.

Most victims of bird flu became ill after coming into contact backyard chickens

All the previous infections were detected between March and May after the virus first surfaced in Egyptian poultry in February.

The woman, 39-year-old Hanan Aboul Magd of the Nile Delta province of Gharbiya, has been in hospital since Oct 4 and has been treated with the drug Tamiflu, state news agency MENA said.

Egypt has had the highest number of human bird flu cases outside Asia.

In September, authorities found a fresh outbreak in birds after a two-month lull.

Officials said warm weather, combined with Egyptian government measures, may have helped keep the virus at bay during the summer months.

The initial bird flu outbreak caused panic in Egypt, where poultry is a major source of protein. Egypt has culled 30 million birds since February to contain the virus.

Most Egyptian commercial poultry have been vaccinated, officials say.