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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Under the radar, bird flu arrives back in Egypt

Article via Bikya Masr :

" With all eyes on Egypt’s new parliament in January, 13 cases of the H5N1, or bird flu, were reported in Egypt, highlighting that the deadly virus was making a return to the North African country.

According to the health ministry in Egypt, Mansoura – a Delta city north of Cairo – suspected at least 13 case of people being infected with bird flu and were held at the Mansoura Chest Hospital for precaution.

Two of those cases were confirmed as being bird flu as tests on the remaining patients is ongoing.

All those suspected to be infected have been quarantined and removed from the general hospital population as a safeguard, medical officials told Bikyamasr.com.

The resulting infections has caused both the health ministry and the agricultural ministry to begin preparations for a nationwide campaign to fight against the virus and inform Egyptians on how to prevent the disease from spreading.

“These measures are just a small part of a more general plan to curb the spread of the virus in our country,” Saber Abdel Aziz, a senior official from the state-run General Organization for Veterinary Services, told IRIN.

“We will also offer incentives to poultry growers to look for signs of illness in their animals, report sick ones, and practice bio-security.”

It is unclear what exactly that campaign will look like, but with reports continuing to circle Egypt about possible outbreaks, and two deaths, a two-year-old girl in Cairo and a 31-year-old man in Fayoum, efforts are being made to battle against the virus in Egypt."

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