Egypt: New human bird flu case raises fears

Live poultry on sale on the streets of Cairo. (Image: Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population)

Since the first human infection was confirmed in February 2006, there have been 47 others, said John Jabbor, a medical officer for emerging diseases with the World Health Organization (WHO).

A 25-year-old woman from Fayyum, the 45th case, died on 4 March, bringing the total number of avian flu deaths to 20. For a country the size of Egypt (population 80 million), this number of deaths is relatively small in general zoonotic diseases (affecting humans and animals) and in human health terms.

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