Boy's illness raises Egypt's H5N1 count to 50

Apr 18, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday confirmed that a 2-year-old Egyptian boy has H5N1 avian influenza, which raised the country's case count to 50.

The boy is from Al-Honsanya in Sharkea governorate in northern Egypt, according to a statement from the WHO. He got sick on Apr 13 and was hospitalized the next day, the statement said. A notice from Egypt's health ministry said the boy received oseltamivir (Tamiflu), according to an Apr 16 report from the Kuwait News Agency.

Two labs, Egypt's Central Public Health Laboratories and US Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) in Cairo, confirmed that his samples were positive for the H5N1 virus, the WHO reported.

An investigation into the source of the boy's infection revealed that he had had contact with sick and dead poultry before he became ill.

The boy's illness marked Egypt's second case in less than a week. On Apr 11, Egypt's health ministry reported that a 30-year-old woman from Matariya district, just north of Cairo, died of an H5N1 infection. Her death raised Egypt's H5N1 fatality total to 22.

See also:

Apr 17 WHO statement

WHO global H5N1 case count