CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt reported a new human case of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu, bringing to nine the number of human infections in the country, including two fatalities, an official said.
The latest infection was detected in a 16-month-old child from the village of Dar al-Sallam in the southern province of Sohag, a spokesman for the government's anti-bird flu committee, Nasser Kamel, told AFP.
It was the first human case of the virus in southern Egypt. The other cases have been in the greater Cairo area and the Nile Delta region.
The child, who began to show flu symptoms a week ago and was admitted to hospital in Sohag on Sunday, was said to be in stable condition after being treated with the drug Tamiflu.
Officials said the child's family continued to rear poultry at home despite a ban on the practice.
Samples have also been taken from members of the family for testing, officials said.
Infected poultry have been found in at least 19 of the 26 provinces in Egypt, the hardest-hit country in the region.
The health ministry has reported two deaths from avian flu in Egypt, saying that four of the other six infected persons are recovering and the remaining two have already recovered.
Egypt is on a major route for migratory birds, at the crossroads between Asia and Africa.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu, its most aggressive form, has killed nearly 100 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus was first detected in birds in Egypt in February. The first human case was reported on March 18.
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