Egypt: there were 24 patients infected with bird flu

A 4-year-old boy in Egypt has contracted H5N1 bird flu, bringing the total number of people infected to the country to 24, the Egyptian Ministry of Health said on March 11.

Mohamed Mahmoud Ibrahim of Dakahlia province was infected with H5N1 after contact with infected poultry. She was hospitalized a day after having a high fever and was taking Tamiflu. My family is being tested for H5N1.

Egypt has the largest number of people infected with H5N1 outside Asia, with 13 deaths out of 24 patients. According to officials, the high death rate is partly due to the patient not notifying the hospital promptly after symptoms appear. They are not suspicious of bird flu or are concerned that authorities will confiscate their poultry.

About 5 million households in Egypt depend on poultry as their main source of food and income. The government said this makes it difficult for them to extinguish the disease. Initially bird flu has made people all over Egypt bewildered and caused great damage to the livestock industry. However, poultry production has recovered to the level before the outbreak.

Vaccination for chickens (Photo: VNN)

Minh Son