Credit FAO/EMPRES
# 6895
Since the Arab Spring revolution of 2011 and the subsequent political turmoil, getting timely bird flu news out of Egypt has been challenging. Media outlets appear less inclined to report on outbreaks than they were a few years ago.
Nevertheless, the newshounds at FluTrackers have managed to keep pretty good track of recent poultry outbreaks in this thread. A few very recent examples include:
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1, Egypt, poultry (FAO, January 23 2013, edited): Qena
Egypt- Bird flu H5N1 outbreaks in poultry in Menoufia governorate
Execution of 7000 birds after an outbreak of bird flu in Luxor
Fears of the return of bird flu to Beni Suef after the death of large amounts of birds
Last month, in Egypt: A Paltry Poultry Vaccine, we looked at a new study – conducted by the Virology department at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital - appearing in the journal Poultry Science, that gauged the effectiveness of six commercially available H5 poultry vaccines currently deployed in Egypt.
Of the 6 vaccines tested, only one (based on a locally acquired H5N1 seed virus) actually appeared to offer protection.
So while not making many international headlines of late, bird flu obviously remains endemic in poultry - and a serious concern - in Egypt.
The last WHO confirmed human H5N1 case reported out of Egypt was last July (see WHO Avian influenza – situation in Egypt – update), the 11th such report of 2012.
Very early this morning, via a barebones FAO/EMPRES report, we saw what appears to be a report of a confirmed human H5N1 infection in Al Buhayrah (behera), Egypt.
With so little data available, it seemed prudent to wait to see if more information would surface before blogging it.
Over the past few hours I’m happy to report the newshounds of FluTrackers have found two stories (h/t Sharon Sanders & Laidback Al) in the Arab media that appear to corroborate this FAO report.
Details are still scant, and the machine translations a bit awkward, but both articles indicate that a woman died last recently in Beheira from an H5N1 infection.
This report from youm7.com.
Health: low mortality rate "bird flu" in Egypt 63%
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - 18:27
The Ministry of Health and Population, the number of deaths bird flu virus decreased in Egypt by 63%, and by comparing the number of deaths from the disease in the period from January 2012 to January 2013, which amounted to 6 cases only the latest of a lady in Beheira, died last Saturday, in the same period from the previous year.
The ministry statement, that the total number of deaths from bird flu, since it emerged in Egypt in 2006 and so far reached 61 cases
And this report from albedaiah.com.
Health: recording the first death from bird flu during 2013 .. The infection rate drops 63%
Albedaiah at: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - 18:21
The Ministry of Health and Population and the death of a woman in Beheira this week due to bird flu, bringing the total dead during the year since January 2012 to January 2013 is 6 cases, a decrease of 63% from the same period of the previous year.
Bringing the total number of deaths since the disease appeared in Egypt in 2006 is 61 cases.
The World Health Organization recently changed the way it reports on human infections with the H5N1 virus and posted the following notice.
Henceforward, WHO will publish information on human cases with H5N1 avian influenza infection on a monthly basis on the Influenza webpage.
Cases of human infection with H5N1 will only be reported on Disease Outbreak News for events that are unusual or associated with potential increased risks.
So we may have to wait awhile before we know if this is truly a confirmed H5N1 fatality.
