CAIRO: Egypt reported 838 new cases of swine flu and 24 deaths from the virus during the period of Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, according to a Ministry of Health statement on Monday. Ever since the H1N1 virus began appearing again in the country last October, there have been a total of 2,171 cases. Abdel Rahman Shahin, health ministry spokesperson, said that the rate of increase in Egypt's swine flu cases is within the normal range of seasonal flu, noting that during the same period last year, from October 2009 to January 2010, there were 14,846 cases of the H1N1 virus. The numbers should start declining by the end of this month, he said. Shahin advised those experiencing flu-like symptoms to immediately report to a doctor, especially children, the elderly, pregnant females and those with chronic diseases. High risk groups account for 73.4 percent of the number of deaths until now. There are 450 hospitals around the country that are monitoring swine flu activity. Tamiflu is available at all public hospitals free of charge and at private pharmacies for LE 70, Shahin said. The ministry also announced the death of a 40-year-old man in the governorate of Daqahliya from bird flu. He was the 119th case in the country. The death toll from bird flu has reached 40 ever since the disease first appeared in Egypt in 2006.
