Fatal H5N1 in Alexandria Egypt
Recombinomics Commentary 20:08
April 5, 2008
Mohammed Idris, from the northern province of Beheira, was admitted to the hospital in the port city of Alexandria with a high fever and respiratory problems on Thursday and did not respond to treatment with Tamiflu, Deputy Healthy Minister Nasr al-Sayyed told MENA.
The above comments described a new H5N1 fatality in the Nile Delta. This fatality extends the string of severe cases in Egypt in the north. All have died or developed pneumonia, in marked contrast to the end of last season. Only one of the last 17 confirmed cases died in Egypt last season, and most cases were in southern Egypt.
Although none of the sequences from the human cases this season have been released, H5N1 from poultry this season had a large number of non-synonymous changes as well as many samples with receptor binding domain changes V223I and M230I. Last season all cases with M230I died.
As more birds migrate north, more cases in Egypt as expected.
Release of the human H5N1 sequences from this season would be useful.
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