Hospitalized Suspect H5N1 Patients in Egypt
Recombinomics Commentary 19:36
March 5, 2008
The case is an 11-year-old male from Menof District, Menofia Governorate. He was hospitalized with symptoms on 26 February and was confirmed as being infected with A(H5N1) by the Central Public Health Laboratory and NAMRU-3 on 4 March. He remains in a critical condition.
To the present, the hospital dietary and chest in a large number of provinces, yesterday, the detention of dozens of cases suspected of carrying avian influenza.
The above comments on the latest confirmed case in Egypt are from the latest WHO update, confirming that the case is in critical condition. Thus, all three recent confirmed cases have developed pneumonia. One (25F) has died, one (11M) is in critical condition, and one (4F) is in stable condition.
However, the above translation from local media describes a large number of hospitalized suspect cases. It is unclear if these additional cases have also develop pneumonia, or if they are hospitalized as a precaution. Earlier this year large numbers of patients were hospitalized following confirmation of H5N1 cases in late December. Those cases did not test positive for H5N1 and many were said to have had seasonal flu. Thus, the coincidence with seasonal flu season at this time may indicate that these are patients hospitalized due to an abundance of caution.
More details on the condition of these patients, including their pneumonia status, would be useful.
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