Sunday, December 16, 2007

Pakistan Confirms 1st Human Bird-Flu Death

Health officials in Pakistan have confirmed the country's first human fatality caused by bird flu.

The Health Ministry says the victim worked at a poultry farm in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, near the border with Afghanistan.

Officials say the brother of the man infected with avian influenza also died recently, but he was not tested for the disease.

At least five other people from the same border region have recently been confirmed as suffering from the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. Pakistani authorities say two have recovered, and the remaining patients are in quarantine.

The World Health Organization said Saturday it was aware of eight suspected human cases of H5N1 bird flu in Pakistan's Peshawar region. The Geneva-based organisation says it is providing technical support to the country's Health Ministry.

WHO says more than 200 people have died of bird flu worldwide since 2003.