Suspected human case of bird flu found negative

Conclusive laboratory tests on specimens from the first suspected human case of avian influenza in Sudan have proved negative, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. "The tests of the specimens from the suspected patient turned out to be negative for avian flu, which is very good news," Emma Fitzpatrick, WHO spokeswoman in Khartoum, told IRIN. The patient was still hospitalised and in stable condition. "The results are conclusive," she added. "WHO experts are currently carrying out further tests on suspected poultry." Sudanese authorities had announced the discovery of a suspected human case of avian flu and five of poultry in Khartoum and Gezira states on Tuesday, but said further tests were required to determine if it was the deadly H5N1 strain. At the request of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, a WHO team of experts in the investigation of outbreaks and containment arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday to provide technical support. "We are quite concerned about bird flu," said Jan Pronk, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Sudan, on Wednesday. "It is an issue which is affecting many countries and seems now to have reached Sudan." The Minister of Animal Resources, Galwak Deng, stressed that his ministry was coordinating a response with WHO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The agencies would be informed about any new cases of the disease. Minister of Health Tabitha Boutros called on all Sudanese, especially those handling poultry, to report any suspicious cases and to follow prescribed health precautions. In neighbouring Egypt, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in at least 12 patients, resulting in four deaths. Bird flu has killed at least 109 people in nine countries, according to the most recent WHO figures. Although avian flu is essentially an animal disease, there are fears the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily amongst humans, sparking a global pandemic in which millions could die.