Egypt finds 12th human bird flu case

CAIRO, Apr 11 (Reuters) An 18-year-old Egyptian woman has been infected with the bird flu virus, the health and population minister said in remarks published late yesterday.

raising to 12 the number of human cases in the country.

The official MENA news agency quoted the minister, Hatemel-Gabali, and ministry officials as saying that the woman from a province north of Cairo caught the virus after handling infected birds.

The ministry said the woman was in a stable condition in hospital and that members of her family were being tested for infection.

''She is being given Tamiflu, the necessary treatment for battling bird flu,'' a ministry official said, referring to the anti-viral medication thought to be the best method of fighting bird flu in humans.

The deadly H5N1 strain has so far killed three people in Egypt, according to the government. Another five people have made full recovery and four remain in hospital but are in a stable condition.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which carries out additional tests after initial government testing, has confirmed four of Egypt's total cases including two of the deaths.

The disease, which has killed at least 109 people worldwide, has spread rapidly since 2003 from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. While mainly affecting animals, scientists fear the disease could mutate into a form that can pass between humans, sparking a pandemic.

Bird flu was detected in birds in Egypt in February and the first human infection was reported in mid-March. The WHO has said it is concerned about the disease's human toll in a relatively short period of time.

Women, who make up all three of Egypt's fatalities, are often responsible for slaughtering and cooking domestic poultry, and the government has called for more awareness about bird flu among women to protect themselves and their families.

REUTERS SRS VC2132