More Human Victims In Nigeria, Egypt

World Braces For Rise In Bird Flu Infections

The World Health Organisation has confirmed that a 17 year old girl has died of H5N1 in Egypt, after she is believed to have come into contact with infected poultry. The WHO said the girl was believed to have been infected with a strain of the virus that has shown "moderate" resistance to Tamiflu. She was the 12th person confirmed to have died of the virus in Egypt.

A 22 year old woman died in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 17 of H5N1. She, too, is believed to have come into contact with infected poultry. But curiously, the woman is thought to have survived some two weeks after the initial infection before she died. An unusually long survival time between infection and death for a bird flu victim. Her mother also died, but WTO says tests have so far proved negative.

The 22 year old woman was the first confirmed victim of bird flu in Nigeria.

The avian influenza virus continues to spread across the world as it mutates, showing up for the first time in some countries, while mounting a strong return to Indonesia and also Vietnam, a country held up in 2005 as having successfully eliminated the virus from its poultry and wild birds.

From the UK Observer :

The number of cases of the deadly bird flu virus is increasing around the world as scientists struggle to combat the disease that is now threatening to jump species and infect humans

Japan and Nigeria have reported a series of cases of the lethal virus, and China, Egypt, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam have also revealed outbreaks in birds and in humans in the past two months.

Indonesia began a mass bird cull in the capital city of Jakarta last Wednesday.

At least 164 people are now known to have been killed by the disease across the globe.

The rapid spread of avian flu can be traced to the fact that the H5N1 virus is mutating as it spreads through birds and a variety of mammals including cats, tigers and pigs, said Robert Webster, a researcher at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee.

It was revealed last night that five people in Indonesia have died from the virus since the beginning of the year while Japan yesterday confirmed its fourth outbreak of H5N1 bird flu this year and Thailand has reported three outbreaks during the past month.

Ireland, Russia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Korea, Japan Ban Poultry Imports From The UK

Japan Runs Drills To Test Reactions, Responses To Human Pandemic Bird Flu Victims

Bird Flu Now Endemic In Indonesian Poultry