Bird flu back again in Egypt

Sep 28 2006

The Egyptian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have confirmed that another case of avian flu in birds has been found in the country.

The latest case of H5N1 has been detected in Edfu a town near Aswan, in Upper Egypt.

Egypt has suffered the worst outbreak of avian flu so far this year apart from Asia, and although the disease was largely brought under control, fears remain of a renewed outbreak.

An outbreak in mid-February among poultry led to the culling of at least 20 million birds nationwide and of 14 human cases of bird flu found since mid-March, 6 have died.

The last death was of a 75-year-old woman who died on the 18th May.

Experts say that the majority of human cases in Egypt have been in women who were infected by handling domestic birds.

After the announcement of the first cases of bird infections, a law was passed banning domestic breeding in urban areas but health authorities refrained from demanding similar restrictions in rural areas where domestic breeding is more widespread and economically vital as it was thought people would be reluctant to comply.

Despite assurances that the consumption of cooked chicken was risk-free throughout the crisis, the poultry industry has been brought to a standstill.

Even though infections among birds were found in 20 of the country's 26 governorates, the health ministry, had until this latest case presumed the outbreak to be under control.

WHO spokesman Hassan el-Bushra says however that until the last virus is eradicated, the risk continues to exist.