Egypt reports two H5N1 cases, one fatal
Egypt today reported two human H5N1 avian flu cases, one of them fatal, according to notifications from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Few details were reported. One of the cases occurred in Minya governorate and was observed on Feb 1. The fatal case was reported from Faiyum governorate and was observed on Feb 5. Both governorates are in upper Egypt.
The illnesses signal Egypt's first H5N1 cases since July 2016. H5N1 is endemic in Egyptian poultry, and Egypt's agriculture ministry recently reported 12 H5N1 outbreaks in domestic poultry. In the winter of 2014-2015 the virus triggered an unprecedented surge in human infections.
Feb 27 FAO report on Minya case
Feb 27 FAO report on Faiyum case
Feb 23 CIDRAP News Scan "H5N8 strikes Spanish poultry; Egypt reports H5N1 outbreaks"
Lithuania reports first H5N8 outbreak; H5N1 returns to Nepal
In the latest avian flu developments, Lithuania reported its first highly pathogenic H5N8 outbreak and Nepal reported its first H5N1 outbreak since 2014, according to reports from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Lithuania's outbreak involved six mute swans found dead in the city of Kaunas, the country's second largest city, near the Nemunas River. Meanwhile, Russia reported a highly pathogenic H5 outbreak in the city of Kaliningrad, an exclave between Lithuania and Poland. That event also involved mute swans found dead.
Elsewhere in Europe, Poland reported four more H5N8 outbreaks in poultry, two at farms and two involving backyard birds. The events struck locations in three province, killing 271 of 18,592 birds. The Czech Republic reported more H5N8 outbreaks in both wild birds and poultry. The detections in wild birds occurred at forest areas in two different locations in Vysocina region in the south central part of the country, killing two mallards. The virus also struck six more backyard poultry holdings in five different regions, killing 38 of 102 birds.
Feb 27 OIE report on H5N8 in Lithuania
Feb 27 OIE report on H5 in Russia
Feb 24 OIE report on H5N8 in Poland
Feb 27 OIE report on H5N8 in Czech Republic wild birds
Feb 27 OIE report on H5N8 in Czech Republic poultry
Pakistan has first chikungunya cases as Brazil notes 3,700 new infections
Pakistan has reported its first chikungunya cases ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, while the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported a 4,000-case surge, led by 3,700 newly reported cases in Brazil.
Pakistan has had 803 chikungunya cases since Dec 19, 2016, in Sindh province in the south, including 29 cases reported during the week of Feb 10 through Feb 16, the WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean said. Of 92 samples sent to the National Institutes of Health, 71 have been lab-confirmed positive for the mosquito-borne virus.
Feb 27 WHO statement
In the Americas, Brazil reported 3,754 cases in the first 4 weeks of 2017, the first numbers it has tallied so far this year. In 2016 Brazil accounted for more than 80% of all cases in the Americas.
All told, countries and territories in the Americas have reported 4,547 cases so far this year, according to a Feb 24 PAHO report. Of those, 4,114 are new in the most recent 2 weeks, with the vast majority of those noted in the latest report. PAHO also reported the first chikungunya-related death of the year, also in Brazil.
The outbreak began in late 2013 on the Caribbean island of St. Martin and has now sickened at least 2,391,540 people.
Feb 24 PAHO update
