First human bird flu death confirmed in Nigeria
1/2/2007 17:46
The Nigerian authorities said yesterday that a woman died on Jan. 17 with
flu symptoms has been tested positive for the deadly bird flu
virus.
According to a statement from the Nigerian Ministry of Information,
the 22-year-old Nigerian woman died in the country's largest city of
Lagos.
Nigerian scientists made tests and the results showed the deceased has
been tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.
An official from the
Nigerian Ministry of Health also confirmed the case.
Abdullahi Nasidi,
director of public health at the ministry, said that they have evidence that
three people, two from Lagos and one from eastern Taraba State, had died with
suspected bird flu symptoms, but they "have confirmed only one case from the
laboratory test," and "the confirmed case is from Lagos."
Since bird flu
cases were first discovered in Nigeria and some other African countries in 2006,
there have been fears that it could spread even further in Africa because
surveillance is difficult on a continent with poor infrastructure.
Xinhua
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