Egypt discovered 3 more people infected with bird flu

Egypt has discovered three new cases of human avian flu, all of which belong to a family in the town of Zifta, Gharbiya province, 90 km north of Cairo.

The Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cairo today said two of these patients, including 1 male and 2 female, had slaughtered infected poultry. However, a notice issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Health said yesterday that only two people had positive results for H5N1 after contacting infected birds.

Patients are being treated at Abbasiya Hospital in Cairo. Medical groups have been sent to an infected area to kill surrounding poultry and check for people who have contact with poultry.

With three new cases of infection, Egypt has had a total of 18 cases of human avian flu, including 7 deaths.

Egypt found the first bird flu case in poultry died in February this year. The virus then spread to 20 of the country's 26 administrative districts. The first case of human avian influenza infection was discovered on March 18, 2006.

Korean health workers carry sacks of ducks to be killed in Asan on Dec. 22 (Photo: AFP)

* In relation to bird flu, the World Bank (WB) has agreed to fund 18.2 million USD for Nepal's bird flu control program over the next 4 years. This program will start in January 2007.

No cases of bird flu have been reported in Nepal so far, but according to Manas Banerjee, director of the Nepal Center for Disease Control and Epidemiology, it is better to take precautions.

So far the World Bank has spent $ 500 million on bird flu control programs globally.

* Meanwhile in Asia, today (December 24) South Korea conducted the killing of nearly 4,200 pigs at a farm in Asan - 90 km south of Seoul, where bird flu broke out last week. - to prevent bird flu from spreading.

Yoon Chang-hee, a South Chungcheong provincial official, refused to provide the cause of the killing, saying only that the Ministry of Health instructed to kill all pigs within 500 meters of the pandemic.

There are no comments from officials from the Ministry of Health, but Yonhap news agency said the pigs are prone to respiratory diseases and can spread the virus. According to the news agency, yesterday, 2,000 chickens were killed at a farm near the latest outbreak.

WALL VY