CAIRO: The H1N1 virus claimed eight more lives in Egypt, raising the total number of deaths in the country to 248, the Ministry of Health announced Sunday. The deaths included a 25-year-old woman, a 51-year-old man and a 43-year-old-woman from Cairo, a 27-year-old woman from Gharbeya, a 35-year-old man from Ismailia, a 42-year-old woman from Port Said, a 62-year-old woman from Alexandria and a 31-year-old man from Assiut. This raises the number of swine flu cases to 15,608 - including 5,505 cases at schools and 847 at universities. The number of recovered cases reached 15,212 and 147 are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals. In related news, the World Health Organization responded to allegations of conflict of interest and creating a "fake pandemic. The WHO said that its influenza pandemic policies have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry and that creating a fake pandemic to bring economic benefit to industry are "scientifically wrong and historically incorrect. "Lab analyses showed that this influenza virus [H1N1] was genetically and antigenically very different from other influenza viruses circulating among people, a WHO statement read. The statement cited clinical and epidemiological information that indicate that the virus can be transmitted from person-to-person and that it could cause severe disease and death. The virus' geographical spread was exceptionally rapid, the WHO added, reiterating that "the world is going through a real pandemic. In related news, a 45-year-old man from Sharqeya tested positive for bird flu, bringing the total number of cases in Egypt to 94. The patient started exhibiting symptoms and was admitted to a hospital on Jan. 19. He had high fever and experienced difficulty breathing after being exposed to birds that were supposedly infected. The patient was then given Tamiflu and is now in stable condition. -Daily News Egypt
