http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/55dcd831013a3af0798e664b530243c9.htm EGYPT: Bird flu claims tenth fatal victim 28 Dec 2006 13:37:55 GMT <!-- 28 Dec 2006 13:37:55 GMT ## for search indexer, do not remove-->Source: IRIN Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone. <!-- AN5.0 article title end --><!-- AN5.0 article header -->Printable view | Email this article | RSS [-] Text [+] <!-- AN5.0 article header end --><!-- START: inline article box --> <!-- AN5.0: background -->Background Bird flu More <!-- AN5.0: background end --> <!-- AN5.0: inline article box end --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="/bin/js/article.js"></SCRIPT><INPUT id=CurrentSize type=hidden value=13 name=CurrentSize> CAIRO, 28 December (IRIN) - Health ministry officials reported the tenth death in Egypt to be caused by the avian influenza virus H5N1, this time a 26-year-old male factory worker. He died on 27 December. According to ministry media official Sayyid al-Abbasi, the latest victim was a relative of two females, one aged 30 and the other 15, who died over the course of the week in Gharbiyya province, 90 km north of Cairo. "They all lived in the same house," he said, where infected domestically kept birds were being reared. "All three were in frequent contact with the infected ducks, cleaning and slaughtering them." Tests for the virus have been run on the rest of the household. "No other members of the family are infected," al-Abbasi said. Virus H5N1 was first detected among humans in Egypt in March 2006, and a month earlier among birds. The majority of infections and all of the deaths have been among people who reared birds domestically as opposed to on farms. In response to the risk of infection by rearing birds at home, the government banned domestic poultry rearing in urban centres. However, the country's health authorities did not impose similar restrictions in rural areas where domestic breeding is more widespread and economically vital. "A ban would lead many to conceal their birds, heightening the danger rather than quelling it," Abdel Rahman Shahine, a health ministry official, said. "Instead, the government plans to intensify its awareness campaign," al-Abbasi told IRIN, to prevent new infections among humans from occurring. Egypt's densely inhabited Nile Valley saw the worst concentration of bird flu infection this year outside Asia. The area has a large rural population that has traditionally reared poultry for food and income, and lies on major routes for migratory birds. sa/ar IRIN news Delicio.us | <!-- Digg | <!-- NewsVine | <!-- Reddit <!-- Permalink <!-- Tags: Bird flu --><!-- AN5.0 article end --><!-- AN5.0 right column --><!-- AN5.0 news box -->Emergencies and topics Bird flu More Countries Zoom to full size map Reset <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #eaf1f8" width="50%">Egypt profile · View Al Qahirah · View Al Ayyash </TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #eaf1f8" width="50%"><!-- ### IE5 fix: Do not remove spacer GIF! ### --> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> More Latest news Vietnamese family in hospital with bird flu symptoms Source: Reuters Vietnamese family in hospital with bird flu symptoms Source: Reuters Jakarta hopes to beat bird flu by end 2007 Source: Reuters EGYPT: Bird flu claims tenth fatal victim Source: IRIN ANALYSIS-Lebanon conflict overlaps with Mideast turmoil Source: Reuters More NGO latest News - Biggest humanitarian crisis Source: Red Cross - UK Alliance urges action to close the HIV services gap at International Development Committee session on global HIV epidemic Source: International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK More <!-- AN5.0 news box end --> <!-- AN5.0 right column end --><!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest img --> <!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest img end --><!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest box --><!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest box tabs --> Latest images <!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest box tabs end --><!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest box thumbs --><TABLE id=Photos style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN-TOP: 0.25em; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE class=ANThumbSel cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=50><TBODY><TR><TD class=ANThumbSelActive id=latest_imgs_div0> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD><TABLE class=ANThumbSel cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=50><TBODY><TR><TD id=latest_imgs_div1> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD><TABLE class=ANThumbSel cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=50><TBODY><TR><TD id=latest_imgs_div2> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD><TABLE class=ANThumbSel cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=50><TBODY><TR><TD id=latest_imgs_div3> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD><TABLE class=ANThumbSel cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=50><TBODY><TR><TD id=latest_imgs_div4> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Ducks swim at a farm in Te Lo village, 65 kilometres (40 miles) outside Hanoi, December 20, 2006. Vietnam has detected the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus in chickens and ducklings in two Mekong Delta provinces, the country's first infections since August, the Agriculture Ministry said. <!-- AN5.0 pic box section latest box thumbs end -->
I have read about some more family clusters and somewhere 1 in 5 stray cats are infected. Thats real bad news.
Watch china too.... they've got what they're calling a SARS outbreak... gotta wonder.... Lots of chat on the forums about preparations being done... if you believe that sort of thing.... Better to be safe than sorry... Got the flu shot again this year.... still got sick... nasty stuff....
