Swine flu in Egypt

[indigo girl]

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/

Because of the prevalence of bird flu, H5N1, Egypt is being watched with interest as swine flu cases occur. There is some press censorship there, but not as bad as in Indonesia where all news of bird flu cases has to be ferreted out by "boots on the ground," so to speak.

They are still trying to contain the virus, but of course, they will fail as they have in every other country thus far. But, the Egyptians are motivated because bird flu is endemic in that country. Everyone, including the WHO is concerned about what will happen if there are cases being co-infected with bird flu as well as swine flu.

As the Abassiya Fever Hospital, continues to host swine flu cases, Lina Attalah spends the day with its Doctors and patients.

"I have been working for more than 19 hours a day nonstop," said, Ahmad Uthman, while putting down his face mask and wiping the sweat away from his forehead. He finally manages to sit down for a few minutes to rest.

For the past two weeks, the outbreak of swine flu cases in Cairo translated into a lot more work for him and his fellow medics at the Abassiya Fever Hospital. This was the second national crisis he had to deal with throughout his three-year professional age at the hospital, the first being a series of measles cases last summer.

Around the hospital, medics and nurses have been moving around with masks covering their faces and signs of exhaustion nevertheless showing.

[oramar]

The docs and nurses are already just about run off their legs and this thing has just begun.

[oramar]

One other thing Indigo, am I remembering this correctly? Do you remember in the first weeks of the outbreak there were some people saying that it(NovelH1N1) didn't seem all that contagious? That seems like a long time ago, less than a month. Truth is that it is every bit as contagious as the H1N1 strain of 1918 isn't it.

[indigo girl]

Actually, I do not know if it is more contagious than the 1918 flu. I only know that it is more contagious than the seasonal flu.

Someone else could probably give the stats on the 1918 version. It's a good question.