GENEVA: An Egyptian woman died Thursday of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the fifth fatal case in the country, the official MENA news agency reported. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Thursday a 13th human case of bird flu in Egypt, a woman who remains hospitalized in Cairo. The Egyptian health ministry announced the case on Tuesday and the Cairo-based U.S. naval medical research unit, known as NAMRO, has certified the sample tested positive for the H5N1 virus, the WHO said in a statement. The 27-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with pneumonia on May 1, is in stable condition, it said. Her infection is linked to exposure to diseased poultry during a recent visit to the Manoufiya province outside Cairo, it added. While there she stayed in a household where numerous chickens were slaughtered, said the WHO. Egyptian officials said earlier this week that she was being treated with the antiviral Tamiflu. There have now been 206 human cases of bird flu in nine countries including Egypt since late 2003, and 114 deaths, according to the United Nations health agency. Five women have now died from bird flu in Egypt since the first human infection was reported in mid-March, a month after the virus was detected in the country. The latest case is the first new one since early April. The other eight patients have fully recovered, according to the WHO. Reuters
