#1433
For the fourth time in a week news has come of another bird flu death in Egypt. There are other reports, carried thus far only in local news media reports, of additional suspected cases being treated in hospitals in that nation.
As far as I can tell, none of these `suspect' cases have been confirmed by the Health Ministry.
The Egyptian Health Ministry, however, is often slow to release information. Often patients are admitted to hospitals, diagnosed and treated, and we only hear about them when the case is resolved.
After a very bad run of back-to-back fatalities in late 2006 and early 2007, Egypt saw numerous cases that were described as `mild' by authorities during the Spring and Summer, with far more survivors.
The good news, if there is any to be found in the reports this week is, so far these appear to be scattered cases in different cities. We haven't seen any obvious links between these cases.
The bad news is that this shows how well dispersed the bird flu virus is in the cities of Egypt.
Fourth bird flu death in a week in Egypt
CAIRO - EGYPT'S health ministry said another woman has died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the fourth such death in a week, local media reported
on Tuesday.
Hanem Atwa Ibrahim, 50, from Damietta north of Cairo, died late on Monday in a hospital in the capital and was the 19th death from the disease in Egypt, the state-owned daily Al-Ahram reported.
Atwa was admitted to hospital on Dec 24 and had been in critical condition since. Another woman, 36-year-old Fardos Mohammed Haddad from the Nile Delta province of Menufia, also died on Monday from the disease.
On Sunday, Fatma Fathi Mohammed, 25, from the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya died of bird flu just days after the death of Ola Yunes Ali.
Egypt's location on major bird migration routes and the widespread practice of keeping domestic fowl near living quarters have led to it being the hardest-hit country outside Asia.
The government says it is conducting a vigorous campaign to combat the spread of the virus through vaccinations and raising awareness, but experts and officials have warned against the relaxation of precautions. -- AFP
