Thursday, April 06, 2006
Number of Egypt’s human bird flu cases rises to 11
Egypt has reported two more cases of human bird flu, bringing the total number of human infections of the disease to 11, the official MENA news agency reported.
Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali was quoted by MENA as saying on late Wednesday that a girl and a boy were reported on Wednesday to have contracted bird flu.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry Spokesman Abdel-Rahman Shahin confirmed that a 16-year-old girl, from the northern province of Menoufia, and an eight-year-old boy, from another northern province of Qalubia, were infected with the disease.
Two people have died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Egypt so far.
The World Health Organization has verified that four Egyptians have caught the deadly H5N1 strain, including the two who died.
On Wednesday, Egypt confirmed that a girl aged 16 months from southern Egypt was infected, the country’s ninth human bird flu case. On Sunday, two sisters were also confirmed to have the virus.
Egypt reported its first outbreak of bird flu in poultry on Feb. 17 and found the first human bird case on March 18.
The Egyptian government has taken tough measures to curb the spread of the fatal disease.
The deadly H5N1 strain has killed over 100 people worldwide since its latest outbreak in southeast Asia in late 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
Most victims were infected after close contact with sick birds.