Published Date: 2012-02-09 13:11:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (10): Egypt (DQ), susp.
Archive Number: 20120209.1037524
AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (10): EGYPT (DAKAHLIA), SUSPECTED
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.orgProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.orgDate: Fri 9 Feb 2012
Source: bikyamasar {edited]
http://bikyamasr.com/56421/under-the-ra ... -in-egypt/Under the radar, bird flu arrives back in Egypt
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With all eyes on Egypt's new parliament in January, 13 cases of the H5N1, or bird flu, [avian A/(H5N1) influenza virus infection] were reported in Egypt, highlighting that the deadly virus was making a return to this North African country. According to the health ministry in Egypt, Mansoura -- a Delta city north of Cairo -- at least 13 suspected cases of suspected bird flu infection are being treated at the Mansoura Chest Hospital as a precaution. Two of those cases were confirmed as being bird flu and tests on the remaining patients are ongoing. All those suspected to be infected have been quarantined and removed from the general hospital population as a safeguard, medical officials told Bikyamasr.com.
The resulting infections has caused both the health ministry and the agricultural ministry to begin preparations for a nationwide campaign to fight the virus and inform Egyptians on how to prevent the disease from spreading. "These measures are just a small part of a more general plan to curb the spread of the virus in our country," Saber Abdel Aziz, a senior official from the state-run General Organization for Veterinary Services, according to IRIN. "We will also offer incentives to poultry growers to look for signs of illness in their animals, report sick ones, and practice bio-security."
It is unclear what exactly that campaign will look like, but with reports continuing to circulate in Egypt about possible outbreaks, and 2 deaths, a 2-year-old girl in Cairo and a 31-year-old man in Fayoum, efforts are being made to battle against the virus in Egypt.
H5N1 has infected 159 and killed 55 people in Egypt since 2006, according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics. The ministry says that in 2011, 40 people contracted bird flu, and that number is expected to rise, officials say, as the economic situation continues to worsen in the country and rural areas are keeping their animals closer to home.
(By Joseph Mayton )
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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
[The 2 confirmed cases (in Cairo and Fayoum) were reported previously in the ProMED-mail post archived as: "Avian influenza, human (09): Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Viet Nam 20120119.1015836". Further information concerning the condition of the 13 people hospitalised in the Mansoura Chest Hospital, and suspected to be avian influenza cases, is awaited. Official confirmation of the positive diagnosis in 2 of these 13 cases is awaited. - Mod.CP]
[Mansoura is located in the Delta region of lower Egypt in the north of the country. It is the capital of Dakahlia Governorate. For a map of Egypt with Governorates, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governorates_of_Egypt. For the HealthMap/ProMED map of Mansoura, Egypt, see
http://healthmap.org/r/1LGI. - Mod.MPP]
See Also
Avian influenza, human (09): Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Viet Nam 20120119.1015836
Avian influenza, human (03): China (GD), Egypt (MF), WHO 20120105.1000978]
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