Avian influenza - situation in Egypt

3 NOVEMBER 2011 - The Ministry of Health of Egypt has notified WHO of one case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.

The case is a 1 year-old male from Mahala district, Gharbia governorate. He developed symptoms on 17 September and was hospitalized on 21 September. He completed the course of oseltamivir, recovered and was discharged from the hospital on 25 September.

Investigations into the source of infection revealed that the case had contact with poultry raised in the neighbourhood.

The case was confirmed by the Egyptian Central Public Health Laboratories, a National Influenza Center of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network.

Of the 152 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 52 have been fatal.

Low Pathogen Bird Flu in Wild Birds

CANADA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a low pathogenicity H7 avian influenza virus in wild birds in central and western Canada.

The birds were sampled through Canada’s Inter-Agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey, which serves as an early warning system designed to detect avian influenza viruses circulating in the wild that could be transmitted to domestic poultry.


Low pathogenicity influenza viruses commonly circulate in the wild bird population with little or no impact on the health of wild birds or people.


However, H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses are known to have the ability to mutate from low pathogenicity to highly pathogenic forms once introduced into domestic poultry, potentially causing high rates of disease and mortality in birds.