Medhat Shokry, the undersecretary of the health minister in Fayoum, announced two more bird flu victims in the governorate Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths in Egypt this year to 13.
The ministry released the names of the two victims who are Nesma Ahmed Hammad, 20, and Mona Mohamed Sayed, 18.
Hammad was from Minya al-Hait village and was being held at the Fever Hospital for typhoid before being transferred to Fayoum General Hospital after she was suspected of having bird flu. A sample was dispatched to the central laboratory in Cairo for analysis and proved positive, according to Shokry.
Sayed was from Abshoway and had been placed in an isolation ward while awaiting her test results, but died before they had arrived, Shokry added.
Prior to the Fayoum deaths, the Health Ministry announced the death of a 35-year-old Cairene man on Friday.
The death rate from bird flu is 37.4 percent in Egypt, compared to 55 percent on the international level, particularly in China.
According to the State Information Service, around two million people involved in the poultry industry and eight million of their relatives have been affected since the emergence of bird flu in Egypt.
In 2014, the World Health Organization published a report on influenza A (H5) activity from 18 February to 23 September of that year. The report mentioned that influenza cases in Egypt included poultry and humans.
The WHO has advised travelers to countries with known outbreaks of avian influenza to avoid poultry farms, or contact with animals in live bird markets. They should also refrain from entering areas where poultry may be slaughtered, or from coming into contact with any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals. Travelers should also often wash their hands with soap and water. Standard food safety and hygiene practices must be adhered to.
