2 die of bird flu in Fayoum; 13 fatalities this year

Two young women have died of the bird flu in Fayoum, a Health Ministry statement announced on Sunday.

Nesma Ahmed Hammad, 20, had a fever and difficulty breathing when she was admitted to the intensive care unit, while Mona Mohamed Saeed, 18, was quarantined at the general hospital in Fayoum, the privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm  reported on Sunday.

Medical teams were sent to the households of both women to check for potential infections in family members. Two relatives were hospitalized as a precautionary measure.

In its statement, the Health Ministry also confirmed three other bird flu infections as well as one fatality — a 35-year-old Cairo man who had previously been hospitalized after contracting the H5N1 strain of the virus.

This brings the total number of confirmed bird flu infections in Egypt to 43 people, 13 of whom reportedly died in 2015. This is a significant increase from figures reported in 2014, when a total of 27 infections were confirmed, of which 11 were fatal.

A two-year-old boy from Beheira, a 39-year-old man from Sharqiya and a 42-year-old man from Cairo were also among the cases mentioned by the Health Ministry. All three patients are reportedly still hospitalized.

Two patients recovered from the flu and were released from the hospital, including a 42-year-old woman from Assiut and a two-year-old girl from Suez, the ministry added.

Most infections in Egypt have been reported in rural areas. Women and children involved in handling and breeding poultry have the highest risk of contracting the potentially fatal virus.

The Health Ministry has advised all those handling live poultry to separate their residential quarters from bird coops, to wash their hands after coming into contact with birds and not to expose children to live birds.

The ministry's bird flu hotline, 105, was set up to answer questions pertaining to the virus and to advise on measures that can be taken to prevent its transmission.

On January 20, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb announced the establishment of a national committee to combat the bird flu. The ministers of agriculture, health, local development and the environment preside over the committee, which also includes the governors of Beheira, Cairo, Daqahlia, Fayoum, Giza, Kafr al-Sheikh, Minya, Monufiya and Qalyubiya, as well as a nationwide team of veterinarians.

If the virus continues to spread at this rate, it may be more prolific than when it was first reported in Egypt in 2006.