# 1447
Every day for the past week the number of `suspect cases' of human bird flu increases in Egypt. Over the past 2 days, local media sources have mentioned as many as 40 possible cases. The newshounds on the flu forums are doing their best to sort these cases out, but official word on their test results are slow in coming.
Typical of the reporting in Egypt is this story, translated from the Arabic by Eltorjoman International, which describes 21 new hotbeds (outbreaks) of bird flu discovered in the past week and a number of suspected human cases.
A hat tip to Theresa42 on Flutrackers for finding this article.
Bird Flu Strikes Again in Egypt
By Metwalli Salem, Abdel Hakim al-Gendi, al-Sayed Abu Ali, Mahmoud al-Minshawi and Mohamed Farghali 9/1/2008
The H5N1 bird flu virus is once again active in a number of Egypt's provinces after remaining inactive for a relatively long period.
The circle of suspicious infections among humans has expanded with another four women from three provinces contracting the disease yesterday. Official reports also confirmed the emergence of 21 new bird flu hotbeds in different places within one week.
At the level of suspected human cases, two women suspected of being infected with bird flu were taken to the Sohag Fever Hospital after they came into contact with domestic birds. Blood samples were taken for examination and analysis at the Health Ministry's central labs.
Undersecretary of the Health Ministry in Sohag Mohamed Abdel Aal said the two women are Yaman al-Sayed, a 29-year-old housewife, and Ehsan Ahmed Abdel Hafiz, 80 years, pointing out that all precautionary measures were taken in the areas surrounding the suspected cases.
In Fayoum, director of the Abbasiyah Chest Diseases Hospital Nagia al-Bataa referred a housewife to the Fever Hospital on suspicion of being infected with bird flu.
Undersecretary of the Health Ministry in Fayoum Hussein Soufi Abu Taleb said that that lady is Awatef Abdel Razek, 30 years, from Fayoum and that she had developed symptoms similar to bird flu infection. "After she was taken to the Chest Hospital she was referred to Fayoum Fever Hospital where she was isolated from the rest of patients.
Her blood samples were sent to the Health Ministry's central labs in Cairo for examination," he said, pointing out that large numbers of birds that the lady was raising in her house have died.
Speaking to ‘al-Masry al-Youm’, the governor emphasized that the results of the 400 blood samples from people and 6,000 from birds taken by the bird flu track-down campaign since its inception in November 2007 were all negative, indicating that 70 veterinary doctors have been contacted to join the campaign to cover all parts of the villages and hamlets. "The Directorate of Veterinary Medicine in Fayoum has vaccinated poultry in farms and houses during last summer," he added.
In Menoufia, Dr. Hisham Atta Youssef, Undersecretary of the Health Ministry, said that Hanan Ramadan Ali Abdel Razek Erida, a 25-year-old housewife from the al-Firouniya village in Ashmoun, was taken to the Fayoum Fever Hospital on suspicion of being infected with bird flu after she came into contact with domestic poultry.
He pointed out she underwent blood sampling and that the results would be sent to the concerned bodies so that they could go to her house to take the necessary preventive actions.
At the level of H5N1 infections among birds, reports of the General Authority for Veterinary Services confirmed the emergence of three new cases of bird flu disease, including two rural cases in Luxor and Gharbia and one case in a poultry farm in Gharbia over the past two days.
