Saturday, February 25, 2017

Egypt: Conflicting Media Reports Of An Avian Flu Fatality In Fayoum













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Since official confirmation of avian flu infections from Egypt's Ministry of Health are often delayed (sometimes for weeks), we are forced to use local media reports to try to monitor the situation there.  

The MOH's website, which has been badly neglected (and often offline) over the past few years, has been recently revamped - but a site search for avian flu `(انفلونزا الطيور)  this morning returns no results.
They may be still adding content, so hopefully that will change.

After a record-setting 2015, where Egypt reported 136 H5N1 cases (39 deaths), 2016 saw only 10 cases (and 3 deaths) reported.  The reasons behind this welcomed drop are not clear, but it should be noted that several studies have suggested that the majority of avian flu cases are never identified and reported (see EID Journal: H5N1 In Egypt).


Today we have several Arabic media reports today of a supposedly fatal case of avian flu (subtype not provided, but probably H5N1) in Fayoum, and at least one report from the Fayoum health department stating they had not received an official report.


Two reports then, the first from Youm7.com.

Governor of Fayoum: Veterinary Medicine called for an urgent report on the death of a patient with bird flu
 
Saturday, February 25, 2017 14:36


Governor of Fayoum: Veterinary Medicine called for an urgent report on the death of a patient with bird flu Dr. Jamal Sami governor of Fayoum

Dr. Jamal Sami governor of Fayoum, said in a special statement for the "seventh day," he demanded of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Health to maintain an urgent report on the incident and the death of infected citizens of bird flu on Saturday, and procedures that have been followed for Immunization and eliminate the epicenter of the disease.


The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Fayoum, Dr. Hisham El Shenawy, announced the death of the first cases of bird flu in 2017, hospital diets to someone named Ocharf.a.m (48 years - factor) from the village of "compromise" Senoras Center, pointing out that he was booked Status General Hospital suffering from symptoms of a cold and high temperature, and was transferred to a hospital in Fayoum chest and took samples from him and sent to labs central Cairo, which has proven results bird flu, was transferred to the Abbasid Fever, where he died.

The second story, comes from VetoGate.com

Fayoum Health»: We have not received a report on the death of a patient bird flu

Saturday 25 / February / 2017 - 13:57
File photo File photo Taha al - Banna

Dr. Hisham Shenawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Fayoum, said he had not yet received a report on the death of «Ashraf Abdul Baki Mukhaimar» (48 years old) , who died of his injuries bird flu, according to the statements of Veterinary Medicine Department in the governorate.

The victim was hit by a rise in temperature and shortness of breath, and went to the Chest Hospital and was detained by three days, pulling him to the doctors a sample was sent to the analysis of the Ministry of Health which confirmed a positive case coefficient, was transferred to the Abbasid Hospital and pronounced dead there.

His body was flown to his home village on Friday night, and sent the Veterinary Medicine Department of the Committee for the sterilization of the area around the poultry farm , which was dealing with.
 
While this sounds like a probable case, hopefully they will get this sorted out and reported to the WHO in short order.