Friday, December 14, 2007

Pakistan : Claim That Two Brothers Died From Bird Flu

I'm treating this report with a bit of skepticism because I haven't found it reported elsewhere, as yet.

If it's indeed true, then these are the first two human deaths related to bird flu reported in Pakistan. The story claims the two brothers were working on a farm where bird flu has been detected :
For the first time in the history of Pakistan, Bird Flu influenza has been confirmed among human beings after two brothers died at a local hospital in Peshawar.

According to spokesman of Health Ministry, two brothers Muhammad Ilyas and Tariq working in a poultry farm in Mansera suffered flu, few days back that later turned to be critical in the form of Bird Flu influenza (H5N1).

They were admitted to a local hospital in Peshawar where on Monday they died.

After the blood samples of both the brothers were sent for formal testing in Laboratory, it was found that both brothers died due to Bird Flu virus (H5N1).

...spokesman of Health Ministry confirmed the death due to Bird Flu adding both the brothers were working in a Poultry farm in Mansera and had direct link with the chickens that resulted in the transformation of the virus (H5N1).

A report here, from November, claims Pakistan has had 76 outbreaks of the bird flu virus amongst poultry and birds in 2007.


No comments: