CAIRO: Two Egyptian boys aged three and four have contracted the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza, bringing to 74 the number of infections in the country, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Four-year-old Abdel Rahman Sabri Mohammed from the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya and Sameh Ayub Shohdi, three, from the southern province of Sohag were admitted to hospital after showing symptoms of the disease, spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin told the official MENA agency.
Both boys, who had been in contact with infected poultry, are being treated with Tamiflu and are in stable condition, Shahin said.
Egypt is one of the countries most affected by bird flu, with 27 fatalities since the disease first appeared in 2006.
In rural areas poultry are traditionally raised on rooftops, often in close proximity to young children. -AFP
