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2007-9-3 17:22:32 |
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Nigeria on Wednesday confirmed a 22-year-old woman died from bird flu- the first human fatality ever reported in sub-Saharan Africa, Reuters reported. "Last night our team of 13 scientists were able to conclusively identify the case of avian influenza in a 22-year-old female who died in Lagos," Information Minister Frank Nweke was quoted as telling a news conference. The woman who lived in Nigeria's commercial capital was believed to contract bird flu when handling infected chicken. The government officials believed three other people may have also died from the H5N1 virus, but test results were inconclusive. The Lagos woman's mother died after handling the same chicken, but the cause of death could not be traced to bird flu as tests proved inconclusive. Another member of the household showed bird flu symptoms, but did not respond to bird flu treatment, Nweke was cited as saying. "The three people feathered and disemboweled the chicken so we believe that is how they were infected," Reuters quoted Abdulsalam Nasidi, a health ministry official as saying. Direct contact with sick birds is the most common way for people to get infected with H5N1, the most virulent bird flu virus that has resulted in at least 200 million deaths of birds. But it is commonly believed that eating cooked infected chicken is unlikely a way for people to get infected with bird flu virus. There are two other victims suspected to have fallen prey to the bird flu in the North-eastern of Borno and Taraba. Experts consider Nigeria one of three countries that are most vulnerable to bird flu. In Nigeria, poultry are sold live and killed and processed right before being cooked. Bird flu has killed at least 164 people worldwide since 2003 when the virus reappeared in Asia. |
