29 March 2006

Egypt Reports 5th Patient with H5N1 Infection and Hosts Two-Day Conference for Health Care Providers in Cairo

The Egyptian Ministry of Health reported the 5th person with laboratory-confirmed H5N1 avian influenza infection over the past two weeks.  The ages of these patients are 17, 18, 30, 30, and 32 years. Two of these five patients have died. Over 400 persons have been evaluated for influenza-like symptoms and possible exposure to H5N1 in poultry. Of note, the protocol for such evaluations has included providing oseltamivir (Tamiflu) anti-influenza oral medication while still waiting for the initial laboratory tests for H5N1 virus to return.

The initial outbreak in poultry in Egypt was confirmed 17 February. To date, 19 of the 26 governates in Egypt have reported one or more poultry outbreaks.  These outbreaks include the Nile River delta, the area around Cairo (the Giza governate, for example) and farther north near the Nile River.

Laboratory tests for H5N1 have been confirmed in Cairo at the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU-3).  Samples have also been sent to the WHO collaborating lab in England for verification. Afterwards, the official WHO-lab confirmed cases from Egypt will be added to the WHO global summary table.

On March 27-28 (this week) the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, their National Training Institute (NTI) in Cairo, and Project Hope-Egypt sponsored a regional symposium on H5N1 avian (bird) flu. Several hundred health care workers and allied professionals participated, both at the NTI in Cairo and via videoconferencing at multiple other sites in Egypt.

Speakers at this two-day H5N1 symposium included members of the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), NAMRU-3, and the Washington Hospital Center EROne Institutes-Georgetown Medical School.   Participants from other African nations (e.g., Morocco Ministry of Health) also joined the conference. Both veterinary and human issues were discussed. These included environmental issues, culling measures, the WHO regional avian flu plan, diagnostic tests, the US pandemic flu plan, the new (March 17th) WHO protocol for rapid response and containment in Phase 4-5 of the next nascent pandemic, and what to do when the first avian flu patient presents to your hospital.

Daniel R. Lucey MD, MPH

Director, CBC-ED, Washington Hospital Center

EROne Institutes, Department of Emergency Medicine

Co-Director, Master of Science Program in

Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious diseases

Georgetown School of Medicine, Washington, DC

Email: Daniel. R. Lucey@Medstar.net

Website: www.BePast.org