Egyptian boy, 4, contracts bird flu virus a Previous (4/78) Next

A four-year-old Egyptian boy has contracted the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus, bringing to 70 the number of human avian flu cases in the most populous Arab country, the state news agency MENA reported.

Egypt has been hit harder by the virus than any other country outside Asia and has seen a surge of cases in recent weeks. Ten new human infections have been reported since April 1 - more than the country saw in all of 2008. The latest sufferer from the virus is from the Nile Delta province of Sharkiya, MENA said. (Reuters)