Boy dies of bird flu in Egypt, upping toll to 26

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A two-year old Egyptian boy contracted the potentially deadly bird flu strain, bringing to 26 the number of people to be diagnosed with the disease since it appeared in the country last year, the Health Ministry said Monday. Youssef Mohammed Mahmoud from the southern city of Aswan was admitted to a hospital there on Friday, suffering from fever and muscle pain, ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahine told the state news agency, MENA. Mahmoud tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, MENA said, adding that the child's family raises chickens in their home. Out of the 26 Egyptians who contracted bird flu since February 2006, 13 have died. Most of those infected have been women or girls, who are usually the ones to take care of household chickens and turkeys.