Ninth human case of avian flu stable, say officials

The ninth human case of avian influenza to be reported in Egypt is in stable condition, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health. “The child’s condition is good and stable,” read the ministry statement. The latest case was reported on 4 April, two days after she entered a hospital in Sohag, 480 km south of Cairo. Just under 16 months old, the child was tested for the potentially deadly H5N1 virus after showing key symptoms of the disease, including a cough and high fever. According to the health ministry, she was infected after coming in close contact with infected poultry. “The child’s mother kept poultry in the home, some of which was infected with the virus,” the statement read. This is the first reported case of the illness in the populous and impoverished Sohag governorate. All eight previous human cases were reported in and around the northern Nile Delta region, where most poultry infections have been recorded, according to the ministry. “To date, the majority of cases among poultry have been reported in the Sharqiya governorate, 85 km east of Cairo,” said ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahine. Although most poultry infections have been discovered in farms, six of the nine human infections have been attributed to the domestic rearing of birds, despite an official ban on the practice. “Some domestic poultry owners and farmers remain unwilling to follow official culling and sanitation instructions,” explained Shahine. “It’s likely that this is the reason we’ve had so many human cases in such a short space of time.” Health authorities are issuing warnings that children and the elderly are most at risk of infection. “Their immunity levels are lower,” Shahine said. “People should take special care of their children to make sure they’re not infected.” Bird flu was first detected among birds in Egypt in mid-February. Since then, two human deaths from the virus have been reported, the first on 17 March and the second 10 days later.