The first human bird flu related death has been reported in Egypt, the most populous North African country. Laboratory examinations revealed that the 30 year old woman , indeed died as a consequence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu.
The victim from Nawa village in Qalyubiya, some 40 km north of here, died early Friday morning in a Cairo hospital where she had been treated for flu-like symptoms, the health ministry said in a statement.
The victim from Nawa village in Qalyubiya, some 40 km north of here, died early Friday morning in a Cairo hospital where she had been treated for flu-like symptoms, the health ministry said in a statement.
Medical experts had detected the H5N1 bird flu virus in her blood samples, said the ministry, adding that more samples of the woman had been sent to Britain for further tests.
Some of the woman's chickens had died before she showed flu-like symptoms and checked in a local hospital, it said.
An Egyptian health ministry spokesman said a state of emergency was declared in all virology hospitals in anticipation of possibly more human bird flu cases.
Egypt reported its first case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu Feb 17 and the government has since launched an aggressive campaign to bring the spread of the disease under control.
The deadly H5N1 strain has killed over 90 people worldwide since late 2003, according to the World Health Organisation.
The virus currently can pass only from birds to humans, but scientists fear that it could mutate into a form capable of passing easily among humans and thus spark a global human flu pandemic that might kill millions.
Edited IANS
- << Brinda Karat Receives Legal Notice over Ramdev Issue
- Poultry Deaths, Farmers Rush To Vet Centres in Tamil Nadu >>
Recommended Reading
Bereavement
Bereavement is a word used to denote grief, pain and sadness following the loss of a loved one.
Bird Flu
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.
