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WHO: Egypt Reports New Bird Flu Case

 

 

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Traditionally, reports of H5N1 infections generally decline during the summer months, pick up over the fall and winter, and peak in the Spring. This year has been running true-to-form, with only a handful of human cases reported over the past couple of months.

 

Egypt, which has seen the highest number of cases this year, today reported their 32nd case of 2011 to the World Health Organization. 

 

In this case, the patient was a 6 year-old girl from Behira governorate who fell ill on July 12th, but recovered and was discharged from the hospital on the 30th.

 

 

Avian influenza - situation in Egypt - update 55

9 August 2011 - The Ministry of Health of Egypt has notified WHO of one case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.

 

The case is a 6 years old female from Demnhoor district, Behira governorate. She developed symptoms on 1 2 July, and was hospitalized. She completed the course of oseltamivir, recovered and was discharged on 30 July .

 

Investigations into the source of infection indicate that the case had exposure to poultry suspected to have avian influenza.

 

The case was confirmed by the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratories, a National Influenza Center of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network.

 

Of the 151 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 52 have been fatal.

 

 

Bird flu remains primarily a threat to poultry - as the virus remains poorly adapted to human physiology – although there are signs that may be slowly changing (see PLoS: Human-Type H5N1 Receptor Binding In Egypt).

 

Despite ample opportunities to cause illness in humans, the virus only causes rare, sporadic infections.

 

The concern, of course, is that over time that may change.  That the virus will mutate into a form that is easily acquired and passed on by humans.

 

And so we watch developments in places where the virus is endemic with particular interest.

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H5N1
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