Re: EGYPT - Dec 4, 2007+
Re: EGYPT - Dec 4, 2007+
AVIAN INFLUENZA: EGYPT, BANGLADESH
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[1] Egypt
Date: Tue 1 Jan 2008
Source: Xinhua News Agency [edited]
<
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/01/content_7349652.htm>
The Egyptian government has been exerting more efforts to prevent
further spread of the bird flu virus since the fatal disease caused 4
human deaths in less than a week in late December 2007.
Egypt has culled 1599 domestic poultry suspected of contracting bird
flu in its latest efforts to prevent further spread of the fatal
disease in the populous Middle East and North Africa country, the
official MENA news agency reported Tuesday [1 Jan 2008].
The culling of birds was carried out in 4 governorates, namely Cairo,
Qalyubiya, Minufiya, and Gharbiya, chairman of the General Authority
for Veterinary Services Hamid Samaha was quoted as saying. Under the
supervision of a committee, the dead poultry was buried deep between
2 layers of white lime, said Samaha.
The preventive medicine department has launched a campaign to
vaccinate live poultry against the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in
the country, with the participation of 3000 veterinarians,
assistants, and drivers.
Some 85 million doses of anti-bird flu vaccines were secured, added Samaha.
The anti-bird flu measures were taken as 4 more Egyptian people died
of the fatal disease in less than a week in late December 2007.
On Monday [31 Dec 2007], the Egyptian Health Ministry said a 2nd
woman died of bird flu in the evening, bringing the death toll of the
fatal disease to 19 since the emergence of the lethal H5N1 virus in
early 2006 in the country.
[The woman,] who was admitted to the intensive care unit of Abasiya
Chest Hospital in Cairo on Wednesday [26 Dec 2007], died Monday [31
Dec 2007] evening, the official MENA news agency quoted Health
Ministry sources as saying.
The 50-year-old woman was from Damietta Governorate in the Nile
Delta, some 150 km (93 mi) north of the capital of Cairo. [She]
became the 4th victim of the virus in the most populous Arab nation
in less than a week.
According to media statistics, Egypt has reported a total of 43 human
cases up to now since it detected its 1st H5N1 virus in dead poultry
in February 2006 and the 1st human case in March of the same year.
Earlier on Sunday [30 Dec 2007], Egyptian Minister of Health and
Population Hatem el-Gabali warned against leniency over preventive
measures against bird flu, especially in the winter season.
The ministry has kept on reinforcing measures to curb the disease
through a monitoring strategy carried out by some 27 teams around the
various governorates in the country.
During a meeting discussing means of preventing more cases, el-Gabali
urged chest and fever hospitals in the country to intensify
protective measures, Egypt State Information Service (SIS) reported
on Saturday [29 Dec 2007].
The minister also ordered to speed up a media campaign to keep the
citizens aware of the symptoms and dangers of the disease and, more
importantly, how to deal with it.
According to SIS, Giza Governorate has decided to launch campaigns to
control homebred poultry and close illegal living birds stores.
Work-teams have been set up in Minufiya Governorate to execute
poultry infected with bird flu using safe methods.
Minufiya governor Hassan Hemaida has issued directives to intensify
regular inspection patrols at some 4882 poultry farms in the
governorate, SIS said.
[Byline: Yan Liang]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
[To assess the background to the continued circulation of the virus
in spite of mass vaccination, additional information is required. In
particular, details on the vaccines used, the vaccination schemes,
data on outbreaks in vaccinated flocks and detailed update on
locations and number of new outbreaks.
The vaccinations seem to mask
the real incidence of infection.
The situation in Egypt and Saudi Arabia should be closely followed by
other Middle Eastern countries.
[An administrative map of Egypt is available at
<
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/egypt_admn97.jpg>. - Mod.AS]
roMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>******[2].Date: Mon 31 Dec 2007Source: Reuters Foundation AlertNet [edited]<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L31423521.htm>On Monday [31 Dec 20007], 2 Egyptian women died of bird flu, bringing to 4 the number of fatalities from the virus in the most populous Arab country in less than a week. All 4 deaths involved women and were believed to have resulted from exposure to sick or dead backyard birds. [One of the victims,] from Menoufia province in the Nile Delta region north of Cairo, was taken to hospital on Saturday [29 Dec 2007] and died early on Monday [31 Dec 2007], Egypt's Health Ministry said in a statement. "She suffered from a high fever and difficulty breathing and had a pulmonary infection after coming into contact with birds suspected of being infected with avian flu," the statement said. "She was placed on a respirator but died at dawn on Monday [31 Dec 2007]."Later, John Jabbour, an Egypt-based World Health Organisation official, told Reuters a 2nd woman [from Damietta, also in the Nile Delta,] had died of bird flu in northern Egypt.The deaths broke a 5-month pause in human cases in Egypt and brought to 19 the number of Egyptians who have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus since it emerged in Egypt in early 2006. It is also the 3rd winter that the virus has struck after lying low during Egypt's hot summers, when it is much less likely to spread from one carrier to another.On Sunday [30 Dec 2007], a 25-year-old Egyptian woman died of bird flu in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura while another woman, died of bird flu on Wednesday [26 Dec 2007] in Beni Suef province south of Cairo, the 1st case of this winter season [and the 41st overall. - Mod.CP]Jabbour said the high fatality rate in the recent cases was likely due to a delay in diagnosis after patients and their family members denied exposure to infected birds. Patients are most likely to survive if they start treatment with Tamiflu early after symptoms occur.Around 5 million households in Egypt depend on poultry as a main source of food and income, and the government has said this makes it unlikely the disease can be eradicated despite a large-scale poultry vaccination programme. WHO officials have said the bird flu virus was now considered endemic in Egypt.Deaths from bird flu total more than 210 worldwide since 2003 and have been reported in several African and Asian countries, as well as in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Egypt, with 43 [now 44] confirmed human cases, has been the hardest-hit country outside of Asia.[Byline: Cynthia Johnston]--Communicated by
