CAIRO - The death of a four-year-old girl on 18 May after she contracted the H5N1 avian flu virus brings the total number of bird flu deaths in Egypt to 27 at a time when the government is also grappling with the threat of the A(H1N1) virus, commonly known as swine flu.
The livelihoods of Orthodox Christian pig breeders and of those who raise chickens in backyards to generate extra income have been threatened by government measures to prevent the spread of the two viruses.
Most bird flu cases have been young girls or women as it is they who generally look after poultry in rural areas.
“We haven’t found any [bird flu] cases of human to human transmission,” said Hussein Gezairi, regional director for the East Mediterranean World Health Organization (WHO) operation. “All cases have had direct contact with birds, although some deny it, because mothers want to keep raising birds at home.”
Raising poultry domestically has been an important income-generating activity in rural areas but recent government measures to stamp out bird flu have forced some families to stop keeping chickens.
The fatality was from the northern province of Daqahlia. The girl started showing symptoms on 9 May but was taken to hospital only on 17 May with a lung infection and died a day later, according to Health Ministry spokesman Abdel-Rahman Shahine.
Outside Asia, Egypt has seen the largest number of human cases of bird flu - 72, according to the Ministry of Health.
Swine flu worries
The latest bird flu fatality comes amid a controversial pig cull designed to prevent the A(H1N1) virus from taking hold. No cases of swine flu have been reported by the Egyptian authorities, but the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on 17 May that a Palestinian boy had been taken to hospital in al-Arish with suspected swine flu symptoms. The 12-year-old had just arrived in Egypt from Gaza to undergo surgery, and had allegedly had an Israeli stamp in his travel documents: Israel has had confirmed cases of swine flu.
However, Sami Anouar, head of the emergency section of al-Arish hospital, said no suspected cases of swine flu had been seen at the hospital “this week”.
In 2007 Egypt drew up a plan to combat any outbreaks of avian or human influenza. The plan covers animal health, human health, communications and inter-ministerial cooperation, and aims to prevent a pandemic.
The first known appearance of H5N1 in birds was reported in February 2006, and the first human case in March 2006.
© IRIN
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