CAIRO: A new human case of bird flu has been confirmed in Cairo, according to the official state news agency MENA.
The hospitalization of a 20-year-old woman has brought the total number of H5N1, otherwise known as bird flu, cases to 110. A health ministry spokesperson has said that she was admitted on Wednesday and is in critical condition.
The woman from the Qaliyubia governorate has tested positive for the H5N1 virus.
"The 20-year-old female was transferred to Sadr Al-Abbasiya Hospital in Cairo, as she was suffering from high temperature and breathing difficulties," Health Ministry spokesperson Abdel Rahman Shahin told reporters.
He also noted that the patient is being given Tamiflu, an anti-viral treatment, and being monitored closely.
While 110 cases were reported in Egypt since bird flu first appearing in 2006, the death toll has reached 34. Outside of Asia, Egypt has been the most affected country.
Since 2006, Egypt has taken preventative measures to try and contain the pandemic. Earlier this month, a ban was implemented nationwide prohibiting the sale of live poultry.
The only exception is licensed slaughterhouses with a resident veterinarian. The vet conducts a preliminary exam and then oversees the process from the slaughtering and cleaning to freezing and selling phases.
