Egypt Gets Fifth Bird Flu Patient

An eighteen year old girl in a small village called Miniet Quellin in Egypt has what is likely to be H5N1 bird flu according to the health minister of Egypt. The official state news service reported the case. The H5N1 strain has already killed one person in Egypt and the authorities are working constantly to prevent the spread of the virus by quarantining areas that are reporting poultry with the deadly virus.

The girl in question has been treated with the bird flu drug Tamiflu, manufactured by the drug company Roche. The girl seems to have been feeling ill a few days before going to hospital and had been in close proximity to live and dead poultry.

It is at present very difficult for humans to get bird flu from poultry as the virus has not sufficiently adapted to be able to jump from birds to humans easily. However those in very close contact with poultry especially in poor areas where people live with their animals it is possible for the disease to move from bird to human.

Scientists who have studied the virus say that it could become extremely dangerous should it mutate to a strain that is able to easily jump from from birds to humans and also from humans to humans. Should this occur a woldwide pandemic may start that could kill millions.

Tamiflu is at present the most effective drug to prevent the bird flu symptoms from killing humans, but its use does automatically mean that you will survive a severe attack, only that you will better the chances of surviving it. Tamiflu is in great demand at present and stocks are insufficient to meet the demand.