Cablegate: First Human Case of Ai in Five Months Reported in Egypt

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #6326 2841528
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111528Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1939
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 0207
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 1058
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0084

UNCLAS CAIRO 006326

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA
AMMAN FOR WHITTLESEY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO KSTH KFLU ECON PREL WHO EG
SUBJECT: FIRST HUMAN CASE OF AI IN FIVE MONTHS REPORTED IN EGYPT

REF: CAIRO 6196

Sensitive but unclassified. Not for internet distribution.

1. (U) On October 10, World Health Organization (WHO) officials in
Cairo confirmed the first case of H5N1 Avian influenza in a human
since May, bringing the total number of human cases this year to
fifteen, six of which were fatal. According to WHO statistics,
Egypt has had the second highest number of AI outbreaks in humans in
the world this year. Indonesia, the highest, has reported 50 cases
and 40 fatalities.

2. (SBU) The 39 year old infected woman from Gharbiya, north of
Cairo, reportedly slaughtered her infected flock of ducks in her
home after two died, and shortly after began running a high fever.
She has been hospitalized and treated with Tamiflu. The Central
Public Health Labs, a division of the Ministry of Health and
Population (MOHP) trained by Cairo's NAMRU-3, tested the newest
patient and determined she was positive for H5N1. They also passed
along a specimen to NAMRU for confirmation and sequence to determine
if the most recent strain is the same as the one analyzed earlier
this year, or if it is another strain.

3. (U) BACKGROUND: As reported in reftel, H5N1 began appearing in
poultry in September, after a lull in the number of cases over the
summer. The GOE has been systematically vaccinating birds on large
commercial farms, but the preponderance of backyard and rooftop
poultry farms, especially in rural parts of the country, is still an
issue.
JONES

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