CAIRO: The Ministry of Health announced Tuesday the death of three cases of A(H1N1) flu, raising the death toll to 265. The ministry said that the latest victims were all females between 50-61, two from Daqahlia and the third from Sixth of October. Despite the new deaths, a ministry report on the HIN1 virus, or swine flu, said the rate of swine flu deaths will keep declining until April. The total number of H1N1 cases in Egypt is 16,000, of which 5,581 are school students, 859 university students and 9,531 from outside educational institutions. About 79 percent of swine flu related deaths were already suffering from chronic illnesses, namely respiratory diseases, and pregnant women. The highest H1N1 infection rates in Egypt are recorded in Cairo, amounting to 41.3 percent, and Alexandria at 10.3 percent. The fourth week of December 2009 recorded the highest rate of infection, with 2,685 new cases. Nearly 97 percent of all those infected have recovered, with some 62 patients currently being treated at hospital. The numbers also state that nearly 21,043 students were vaccinated against the pandemic in six governorates, including Qaliubiya and Sixth of October. The ministry said that the imported vaccine will expire after a year and a half, assuring that all the imported quantity will be consumed within the expiry period. On Feb. 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that "in North Africa, pandemic influenza transmission remains active and geographically widespread but overall activity has been declining since peaking during late December 2009 and early January 2010. The ministry on Tuesday also announced the 29th death from bird flu in Egypt, since the epidemic emerged in 2006. The 37-year-old Helwan resident died Tuesday evening at the hospital following respiratory failure. This is the second death in 2010. Egypt has reported 97 cases of infection with avian flu. The number of human bird flu infections since 2003 until January 2010 worldwide reached 471 cases, of which only 283 cases died. -Daily News Egypt
