CAIRO, April 16 (RIA Novosti) - A 33-year-old woman
in northern Egypt has been hospitalized after doctors confirmed
she contracted bird flu, the country's Health Ministry said on
Thursday.
A spokesman said the woman, from the province of Kafr
el-Sheikh, apparently became infected after coming into contact
with sick poultry and showed the first symptoms of the disease
on April 7. He said her condition was serious.
Egypt's first case of bird flu was recorded in 2006, and
64 people have since become infected with the deadly virus, 24
of whom have died.
The 63rd bird flu case was confirmed near Cairo 10 days
ago.
As of April 8, a total of 417 bird flu cases had been
registered worldwide since the virus was first detected in
2003, resulting in 257 deaths, according to the WHO.
Although there have been no incidences of human-to-human
infection, experts fear that the bird flu virus may mutate into
a form that could be easily transmitted from person to person,
causing a global pandemic.
News
