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  • Egypt finds 5th suspected human bird flu case

    http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LA76698.htm


    EGYPT CONFIRMS FIRST HUMAN CASE OF BIRD FLU - WHO


    CAIRO, March 18 (Reuters) - Egypt confirmed its first human case of bird flu on Saturday, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said.

    A report carried by the state MENA news agency said a woman with symptoms of the disease had died, but this could not be immediately confirmed

  • #2
    Re: Egypt Confirms First Human Case Of Bird Flu - Who

    Egypt confirms first bird flu human death

    Woman with disease symptoms dies in province north of Cairo, after raising poultry at her home
    News Agencies

    <script>var agt=navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase();var is_major = parseInt(navigator.appVersion);var is_ie = ((agt.indexOf("msie") != -1) && (agt.indexOf("opera") == -1));var is_ie5 = (is_ie && (is_major == 4) && (agt.indexOf("msie 5.0")!=-1) ); function txt_link(type,url,urlAtts) { switch (type){ case 'external' : if( urlAtts != '' ) {var x = window.open(unescape(url),'newWin',urlAtts)} else {document.location = unescape(url);} break; case 'article' : urlStr = '/articles/0,7340,L-to_replace,00.html';url=urlStr.replace('to_replace ',url); if( urlAtts == '' || !urlAtts) {document.location = url;} else {var x = window.open(url,'newWin',urlAtts)} break; case 'yaan' : urlStr = '/yaan/0,7340,L-to_replace,00.html';url=urlStr.replace('to_replace ',url); if( urlAtts == '' || !urlAtts) {document.location = url;} else {var x = window.open(url,'newWin',urlAtts)} break; case 'category' : urlStr = '/home/0,7340,L-to_replace,00.html'; url=urlStr.replace('to_replace',url); if( urlAtts == '' || !urlAtts) {document.location = url;} else {var x = window.open(url,'newWin',urlAtts)} break; } } function setDbLinkCategory(url) {eval(unescape(url));}</script> Egypt confirmed its first human case of bird flu on Saturday, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said.
    A report carried by the state MENA news agency said a woman with symptoms of the disease had died in Al-Qaloubiyah province, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Cairo.
    The woman was raising poultry at her home and some of her birds also died, Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali said, according to the official news agency, MENA.

    Police said that Amal Mohammed Ismail, 35, was admitted to hospital in the governorate's capital Qalyoub, about two weeks ago, and was subsequently transferred to the Cairo Fevers' Hospital where she died Friday night.

    Ismail's home has been sealed off by security, police said.

    At least 98 deaths since 2003

    Egypt had previously reported cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in poultry flocks.

    Bird flu has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia and killed at least 98 people worldwide since 2003.
    Although hard to catch, scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that could easily pass from one person to another, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.
    Woman with disease symptoms dies in province north of Cairo, after raising poultry at her home

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Egypt Confirms First Human Case Of Bird Flu - Who

      CAIRO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt confirmed on Saturday that a woman had died of H5N1 bird flu virus, the first human case of the lethal disease in the country, state television reported. The woman from Nawa village in the governorate of Qalyubiya, some 40 km north of Cairo, was admitted to a hospital in Cairo nearly two weeks ago with fever symptom.
      Samples of the victim has been sent to Britain for further tests, it added.
      Security forces have sealed off the woman's village, and health officials are taking samples from people who may have come into contact with her or her poultry.
      Egypt has taken tough measures to prevent the spread of bird flu since the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain was found in dead poultry for the first time on Feb. 17.
      About 100 people worldwide have died of the disease since late 2003, most of them were infected after close contact with sick birds.
      Currently, the disease only jumps from birds to humans. But experts fear that the virus might mutate into a form that can easily pass among humans, sparking a global pandemic.

      Comment


      • #4
        GR still going to Egypt?

        Isn't GaudiaRay heading to Egypt-Cairo in the next few days? Wonder if he's thought of changing his plans?

        GR, you gone yet? You gonna stay safe??? You taking preps and masks?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Egypt Confirms First Human Case Of Bird Flu - Who

          http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.as...en&DSNO=840011

          <TABLE id=DetailedNews1_storyTable style="WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR id=DetailedNews1_titleRow><TD class=DetailedNewsTitleStyle style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; WIDTH: 100%">Egyptian infectious diseases hospitals on full alert </TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 10px"><TD></TD></TR><TR id=DetailedNews1_fullDetailsRow><TD class=DetailedNewsFullDetailsStyle style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; WIDTH: 100%">HLT-LD EGYPT-FLU
          Egyptian infectious diseases hospitals on full alert
          CAIRO, March 18 (KUNA) -- Egyptian health ministry Saturday announced emergency in all infectious hospitals nationwide after a woman died of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

          Ministry spokesman Dr. Abdulrahman Shahin told reporters the emergency case was elevated in all 107 hospitals, designed to receive any human case infected with the deadly virus.

          Shahin said the infectious hospitals were fully equipped, and the medical staff know how to deal properly with the bird flu cases.

          He added that around 80,000 tamiflu vaccines were distributed to hospitals as a precautionary measure.

          Shahin said the village in which the woman died earlier due to bird flu virus, also witnessed the death of a large sum of birds.

          The spokesman said if medicine was given in the first 24 hours of the discovery of the virus in humans, the cure will have a great percentage. (pickup previous) mhm.
          bs</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

          Comment


          • #6
            Egypt's second bird flu case in humans

            http://english.bna.bh/?ID=42689
            Egypt's second bird flu case in humans

            date: 19 03, 2006

            Alexandria, March. 19, (BNA) Egyptian Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Hatem El Gabali, announced today that a second suspected case of a human effected with bird flu was discovered in Qalubiya.
            An Egyptian youth aged 28 and is said to own a poultry farm and who has exhibited the symptoms since last Monday. In a press conference, Dr. El-Gabali explained that the youth developed bird flu symptoms last Thursday and acted positively by going to the hospital where X-rays revealed him being effected by bird flu and was given medication. The minister said that he paid a visit to the youth in hospital today and emphasized that he regained his health after his temperature was stabilized and was expected to leave the hospital within two days. The presence of the disease in the youth will be checked by testing the samples for a second time in US scientific laboratories, with the possibility that samples will reach US today at 4 p.m, Dr. El-Gabali said.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Egypt's second bird flu case in humans

              The headline is very misleading. Until he fully recovers they should not be claiming victory.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Egypt's second bird flu case in humans

                Originally posted by DB
                The headline is very misleading. Until he fully recovers they should not be claiming victory.
                Totally agree - remember the Vietnamese girl, one of these latest posts, whose condition improved first, then deteriorated? For the sake of the patient, I hope he gets released soon AFTER he fully recovers, but if they release him too early, he might get worse, right?

                Also, what's up with the "x-rays determined he has BF" quote in the previous article? They're probably meaning he had been x-rayed and pnemonia or similar symptoms seen on the x-ray.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Worried Egyptians head to hospital for bird flu tests

                  http://www.todayonline.com/articles/107898.asp
                  Worried Egyptians head to hospital for bird flu tests

                  Tuesday • March 21, 2006

                  Egyptians are heading to hospital fearing they might be the next victim of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu after two human cases were detected in the country, officials said.

                  "There are two or three cases of people who came to hospital and tests are underway," said Nasser Kamel, spokesman for the government anti-bird flu committee.

                  But he cautioned that the cases were not yet suspect, stressing tests were being carried out as a precautionary measure.

                  "It's logical that after human cases were announced, people are worried and go to hospital even when they've just got a normal flu," he said.

                  His committee, meanwhile, said 121 people who had been in contact with 12 new bird flu outbreaks in eight provinces, including the governorate of Cairo, had tested negative for the infection.

                  Two-thirds of Egypt's 25 provinces have now been affected by bird flu, it said.

                  The H5N1 virus was detected in Egyptian poultry last month and authorities said on Sunday that two human cases had been detected, including that of a woman who died on Friday.

                  An infected man has also been hospitalized after spending time with infected poultry but medics said Sunday he was recovering.

                  Egyptian authorities and a US Naval laboratory in Cairo confirmed the presence of the potentially deadly strain in both cases but samples had been sent to London for further tests by the World Health Organization.

                  The H5N1 strain of bird flu, its most aggressive form, has killed nearly 100 people worldwide, according to the WHO, and seen millions of birds destroyed.

                  Egypt is on a major route for migratory birds, at the crossroads between Asia and Africa.

                  An outbreak of the most pathogenic strain of the virus that originated in Asia was seen as inevitable in Egypt after seven birds were found infected in February. — AFP

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Egypt fears third bird flu case

                    Egypt fears third bird flu case

                    Egyptian officials have confirmed a third suspected human case of bird flu.

                    The latest victim, a 30-year-old woman, continued to work with chickens despite a ban imposed in mid-February, a health ministry official said.


                    On Monday, Egyptian officials said the second suspected human case, a man who had been in hospital since Thursday, had apparently recovered.
                    Egyptian state TV reported on Saturday that a woman had died last week from the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.

                    All the cases originated in the Qaliubiya region, just north of Cairo.


                    The World Health Organisation has said that further tests are needed to confirm the virus caused the woman's death.


                    In February, the Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of all poultry kept in homes, as part of efforts to stop the spread of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.


                    The H5N1 strain has killed at least 90 people since early 2003, mostly in South-East Asia.


                    The virus can infect humans in close contact with birds. There is still no evidence that it can be passed from human to human.


                    BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      4 detained for suspected bird flu

                      4 detained for suspected bird flu

                      CAIRO, March 23 (KUNA) -- Minister of State for Environment Affairs Maged George announced Thursday the discovery of four suspected bird flu cases in Al-Bouhayra Province north of here.

                      George told the Middle East news agency (MENA) that the suspected citizens were rushed to a hospital in Alexandra.

                      He added that proper arrangements were taken to respon to stress calls from citizens concerning the flu.

                      Egypt announced last Saturday that four bird flu cases were discovered and one of them died while the others were under treatment.


                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Serious symptoms

                        Serious symptoms


                        Despite the death of Egypt's first human victim of avian flu, reports Reem Leila, carelessness remains rampant
                        The streets of Nawa, the small village in Qalyoubiya Governorate, home to 30-year-old Amal Mohamed Ismail, Egypt's first victim of avian flu, are littered with the carcasses of dead birds. Children continue to play among chickens in the narrow alleyways, careless of any threat to health. And, according to Nawa resident Umm Ahmed, villagers still breed chickens inside their homes.

                        Naema, Umm Ahmed's neighbour, even doubts that bird flu really exists. "I will not slaughter my chickens," she says. "I am hiding them inside my closet. Killing them is not an option. I cannot afford to," she explains.
                        Residents of Nawa are far from impressed by government claims that it is taking every step to contain the spread of the virus. They complain that the authorities do not even clear away dead birds from the streets. "No one is talking to us. No one seems to care. The only people who have been here are the press," says Umm Ahmed.

                        Ismail died last Friday, after being hospitalised three days earlier. During her initial examination she denied having come into contact with poultry, a necessary condition for contracting the virus, making it difficult for doctors to diagnose her condition. In fact she was hiding chickens beneath her bed.

                        Three other suspected cases of infection with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu -- 17-year-old Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel-Ghani from Gharbiya, 30- year-old Fatima Mohamed Youssef and 28-year-old Mohamed Bahaaeddin Abdel-Moneim, both from Qalyoubiya Governorate -- have since come to light. Health officials say they are in a stable condition, and the final results of tests have yet to be received.

                        Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali said the three had been hospitalised after it was discovered they had come into contact with infected poultry.
                        Ahmed Mustafa, an official at the Nawa Municipality of the Governorate of Qalyoubiya, says the number of human infection cases are too small to justify the wholesale culling of poultry though the authorities will act should the situation worsen. "At this stage there is no reason for people to panic.


                        Everything is under control."

                        Staff at poultry farms had all, he said, been trained to identify symptoms and take the necessary precautionary measures. "And we are trying to increase awareness among the public, largely through mosques, of the dangers of keeping poultry inside houses."
                        The municipality does not have the authority to search people's homes and confiscate livestock without, says Mustafa, there being a complaint from either the police or neighbours.

                        "Despite isolated cases of human infection there is as yet no danger of avian flu causing an epidemic," says Salah Shousha, who works with the Nawa Authority for Veterinary Service.

                        "I would not be surprised," he said, "to see more human cases of infection but we are far away from a pandemic."

                        Shousha, who believes the biggest health risk comes from the haphazard disposal of bird carcasses, recommends measures to ensure that people stop rearing fowl domestically, and that birds are not moved around the country. "In every village a couple of policemen should be deployed to ensure recommendations are implemented. And the municipality should have the authority to search people's homes and confiscate any birds found."
                        Humans are at risk of contracting bird flu only if they come into direct, and fairly continuous, contact with infected birds. Scientists fear, though, that the virus could mutate into a form that can be passed easily between humans, triggering a pandemic.

                        Nawa resident Zaher Rizk, who has culled his own poultry, complains of laxity on the part of the municipality. "If you go and report that bird carcasses are littering the streets the municipality will either ignore you, or else levy an LE300 fine, accusing whoever is doing the reporting of being responsible for the dead birds being in the street in the first place." As a consequence, he says, no one bothers filing reports.
                        Abdel-Rahman Shahin, spokesman at the Ministry of Health, insists that after identification every site is immediately quarantined. He confirms that doctors have taken samples from everyone who has had any contact with confirmed cases of infection, and that the samples are currently being tested.

                        "There is no time for niceties," he says. "We have an emergency plan developed between us, the municipalities and Ministry of Agriculture. Infected birds must be killed as quickly as possible. A ban on all exports of poultry products will shortly come into effect and quarantine orders will be imposed on all sites of human infection. Since Sunday there has been a total ban on the transport of poultry."

                        As the Egyptian authorities scramble to contain the virus Hassan Al-Bushra, the World Health Organisation's regional adviser for communicable diseases, says there is no need for the public to panic, and people can continue to eat well cooked chicken and eggs.

                        "There are no known cases of infection with bird flu through eating eggs or cooked chicken. Eggs cooked in any way, including in baking, can be consumed safely," says Al-Bushra.

                        The first cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu virus in poultry flocks were reported in Egypt last month. The poultry industry, which had attracted LE17 billion worth of investments, has been severely affected and is estimated to be losing LE10 million a day. Exports, of 180 million one-day-old chicks and 500,000 fowls a year, have collapsed, and the industry, which supports between 2.5 and three million people, is unlikely to recover any time soon. Nearly 75 per cent of poultry farms have closed, and many farmers face bankruptcy.


                        Comment


                        • #13
                          A fifth human case of H5N1 infection confirm

                          Latest from Haaret'z, Israel via Reuters, not on-line yet

                          A fifth human case confirmed.

                          Waiting for Reuters to put it on-line

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