CAIRO: Six people were hospitalized Saturday after showing symptoms of bird flu amid fears of a global surge in infections by the deadly virus, the official MENA news agency said. The six, including a three-year-old girl and a 24-year-old woman in critical condition, are from villages around Fayoum, south of Cairo, and are known to have come into contact with poultry, MENA said. Test samples for the six were sent to health ministry laboratories, MENA said, adding that the poultry was also being tested as some of the birds had had died. Egypt - the Arab worlds most populous state - is on a major route for migratory birds. The H5N1 strain of bird flu was first diagnosed in humans in Egypt in March, 2006. On Feb. 6, a teenage girl became the fifth Egyptian to die of bird flu in six weeks. With 12 deaths overall, Egypt is the fifth most affected country in the world and the worst-hit outside Asia. David Nabarro, who heads the United Nations efforts to coordinate the fight against the disease, warned recently that a surge in outbreaks should be expected in the coming months. According to the World Health Organization, a total of 166 people have now died from bird flu around the world. Experts fear the virus could cause a pandemic by mutating into a form that is transmissible between humans.
