CAIRO: Egypt has confirmed a new case of the deadly H5N1 Avian flu virus, commonly known as bird flu, in an announcement that has left global health workers worried that an outbreak of the virus could lead to a mutation and joining with the H1N1 virus, or Swine flu. If that were to happen, experts say, it could trigger a massive pandemic the world has yet to see, but despite the worries, the ministry of health in Egypt has said the case is isolated and does not pose a major threat. The 3-year-old boy from the Minya governorate, was admitted to a local hospital on November 21 and after the ministry and hospital officials conducted tests, it was confirmed on Friday that the boy had the bird flu virus. According to the ministry, the young boy is currently in stable conditions after he was given the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu. The ministry said that he had come into close contact with dead, or sick, poultry. Egypt has been struggling to educate its population over how to protect oneself from the virus, which until this case, had become nearly dormant, but the ministry said in a statement that the risk remains real. His sickness was confirmed by the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratories. The World Health Organization has confirmed 89 cases of the deadly bird flu in Egypt, which first surfaced in early 2006. Of those cases, some 27 people have died as a result of the virus, nearly three times as many deaths compared to Swine flu. Egypt has seen over 3,000 reported cases of the Swine flu and has taken extreme measures in order to halt the spread of the virus. All the country's pigs were culled last summer after initial reports of the virus arriving in the country was reported on June 2. According to the Mayo Clinic, health officials worry that a global outbreak could occur if a bird flu virus mutates into a form that transmits more easily from person to person. Researchers are working on vaccines to help protect people from bird flu. BM
