Egypt: Seasonal Flu Cause Of Suspected Bird Flu Cases

 

# 1497

 

Almost 3 weeks ago we learned of 4 women who died in the space of a a few days in Egypt from the H5N1 virus.  In the 19 days since that last reported death the Arabic papers have been filled with dozens of reports of `suspected bird flu patients' entering local hospitals.

 

Newshounds, working tirelessly, have cataloged more than 400 `suspect' cases since the first of the year.   The Egyptian government has been releasing some `negative' test reports, but until today, hasn't really addressed the huge rise in numbers.

 

Most (and probably all) of these suspected cases are now being attributed to seasonal flu.  There have been no new positive cases reported since December 31st, and the count remains at 43 cases total.

 

A Hat tip to pugmom for finding this article, and Theresa42 for posting it on Flutrackers.

 

 

Google-translated from Arabic:

Supreme Committee chaired by the Minister of Agriculture: Lower hotbeds of avian influenza in the second week of January

Abdulrahman Shaheen: Human influenza behind the high incidence of suspicion

Jan 18, 2008

Ghada wrote Zine El Abidine and Magdi Ahmed:

The Supreme Committee for the decline in the number of bird flu-infected poultry hot during the second week of January compared with the first week .. Due to increased awareness and vigilance among citizens and intensifying vaccination campaigns.

 

The Commission also stressed the rise in cases of suspected human-to-human cases including 4,284 to 464 cases during this month .. Because of the spread of seasonal influenza.

 

This came in a committee meeting yesterday evening, the first headed by Amin Abaza, and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and the presence of the ministers of health and environment, local development, Governors Qaliubiya and Beni Suef and representatives of the Ministry of Defence and my organization WHO and Food and Agriculture.

 

Abdulrahman Shaheen adviser to the Minister of Health during the press conference that was held after the meeting, the Committee reviewed the global position of the disease by the World Health Organization reports up to 15 days of this month, which made it clear that human casualties around the world amounted to 350 cases of which 217 died and the case remained the total casualties in Egypt 43 cases since the beginning of the emergence of the disease in January 2006 died, including 19 cases, mostly from education, pointing out that domestic hospitals and the Ministry of Health received the 4,284 case [totally since March 2006] of suspected infection of his appearance, this month saw only 464 suspected case and that all suspected cases are conducting medical tests they withdrawn samples for analysis.

 

Meanwhile Committee to conduct epidemiological surveillance in five governorates, namely, Dakahlia, lake [Beheira], Giza, Fayoum and the West [Gharbiyah].

 

Mr. Nasr adviser to the Minister of Health that the number received by the ministry since the first hospitals in January this is the largest number of cases received by hospitals salt [Fevers Hospitals] suspicion in the world because of the wave of fear of the disease a positive attitude supports the efforts of official treatment and surveillance for cases of respiratory infections for early detection of human infections.

As also due to the spread of the seasonal human influenza during this period.

 

 

None of this is terribly surprising.   Most of us in Flublogia have been watching this situation, expecting most (if not all) of these cases to be negative.  

 

This is, afterall, the height of the flu season.  And after the deaths of four women during the last week of December, many people would be wary and concerned over any `flu-like' illness.   Any severe flu would be `suspect' until proven otherwise.

 

Of course, H5N1 hasn't gone away in Egypt.  And it's even possible - given the limitations of testing- that a handful of these negatives, in fact, did have bird flu.  Possible, but not probable.

 

Granted, the Egyptian Health Ministry could have done a better job getting the word out.  Their web site still lists a case count, and number of fatalities (35 and 15)  that hasn't been updated since last summer.

 

This information vacuum, filled with media reports of hundreds of suspected cases, may have served one purpose, however.   Bird flu concerns are once again high on people's lists in Egypt. 

 

And this may, in time, help in getting people to take precautions.