Avian influenza – situation in Egypt - update 6

4 May 2006

The Ministry of Health in Egypt has announced the country’s 13th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Tests conducted by both the national public health laboratory and the Cairo-based US Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) produced positive results.

The patient is a 27-year-old woman from Cairo who was hospitalized with bilateral pneumonia on 1 May. She is presently in stable condition.

Her infection has been linked to exposure to diseased poultry during a recent visit to the Minufiyah governorate. While there, she stayed in a household where numerous chickens were slaughtered.

The woman is the first new case in Egypt reported since early April.

Of the 13 laboratory-confirmed cases in Egypt, four were fatal. Eight patients have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.