Egyptian boy becomes 24th bird flu case

CAIRO: A four-year-old boy has become the 24th case of bird flu in Egypt, the health ministry announced late Saturday. Mohammed Mahmoud Ibrahim from the Nile Delta region north of Cairo was admitted to hospital on Thursday and a blood test revealed he had the H5N1 virus, the ministry said in a statement carried by the MENA news agency. His family is also under observation. Since the deadly H5N1 strain appeared in Egypt a year ago, 24 people have been affected, with 13 people dying. Nearly all the victims have been women, as well as some children, due to their close involvement in raising poultry. UNICEF is working with the health ministry to combat the deadly virus in Egypt, the hardest hit country outside Asia.