- Egypt's health ministry on Wednesday confirmed the death of a woman from the deadly avian influenza virus H5N1, bringing the total death toll from the disease up to seven.
"In total, ever since the first human case of bird flu in Egypt was confirmed in March 2006, 15 infections have been reported, of whom eight have survived," said health ministry media spokesman Amr Hamdi Abdel Wahi.
A ministry press statement said that the latest fatality was 39-year-old Hanan Abul Magd, from Samannoud, a village in Gharbiyya province, who died on 30 October. She was infected when slaughtering and cleaning infected domestically kept poultry.
An official follow-up revealed that none of the people who may have come into contact with her had been infected, the statement added.
Ever since bird flu was first detected among fowl in Egypt in early 2006, more than 30 million birds were culled under government supervision, mostly in poultry farms. Bird flu can not be caught from cooked chicken.
The government also banned domestic poultry rearing in urban centres. However, the country’s health authorities did not impose similar restrictions in rural areas where domestic breeding is more widespread and economically vital.
“A ban would lead many to conceal their birds, heightening the danger rather than quelling it,” Abdel Rahman Shahine, a health ministry official, said.
Egypt’s densely inhabited Nile Valley saw the worst concentration of bird flu infection this year outside Asia. The area has a large rural population that has traditionally reared poultry for food and income, and lies on major routes for migratory birds.
"With the onset of winter, and a new season of migration for birds, we are stepping up activities to ensure that there isn't a new wave of cases of avian flu," said Abdel Wahi, who added that the authorities' efforts would focus on raising awareness among the population.
While awareness campaigns - including TV and radio advertisements as well as the distribution of posters and leaflets - are continuing, the health ministry is set to train 9,000 health workers across 18 governorates on how to manage the threat of bird flu.
"We trust that with these additional efforts, we will not witness a surge in casualties [from avian flu]," Abdel Wahi said.
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