CAIRO: The deaths of five females, one on Friday and four, including one child, late Thursday evening have raised the death toll of the H1N1 virus in Egypt to 44.
There were six deaths on Wednesday and early Thursday, bringing the toll to 11 deaths in two days, the highest rate since the onset of the flu in Egypt. The death rate from swine flu has increased markedly in the past month; by mid-November it was at seven.
The Health Ministry announced the latest deaths as soon as they occurred, making Thursday the highest case of deaths (six) in a single day. Wednesday had been the highest day previously with four deaths.
The four deaths occurred in four different governorates, Alexandria, Beni Suef, Aswan and Fayoum. The latest fatalities were Heba Mohamed Ahmed Al-Sayed, Mosheera Abdel-Wahab, Reham Abdalla and 12-year old Amira Gamal.
The H1N1 virus in Egypt has to date claimed 44 lives, and infected over 4,000, 263 of which are receiving treatment while 3,822 have recovered.
The hike in fatalities from the virus has been attributed to the onset of the winter season.
The deputy minister of health for precautionary measures Amr Kandil previously said, “We are expecting the number of swine flu cases to increase exponentially in the coming months of the winter season.
“The death rate is on the rise as the number of cases has increased, however those who have died of the H1N1 virus have a medical history which includes chronic illness that have caused the complications, he added.
The latest victim, 26, was pregnant and was admitted to hospital with severe breathing difficulty.
