12.05.2006

The World Health Organization said Thursday that a baby in Djibouti has contracted the H5N1 virus, the country's first human case of avian influenza.
A 2-year-old girl, from a small rural village in Arta district, from Djibouti, was confirmed as H5N1 positive by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) in Cairo.
The girl's symptoms began on April 23 and tests were conducted by the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU-3) in Cairo on May 10.
Three of the child’s siblings are under investigation for possible infection and are also receiving care. Samples have been taken and are being sent to NAMRU-3 for testing.
Officials in Djibouti began surveillance for human cases after some chicken deaths were reported in early April, WHO said. Three samples from poultry have since tested positive for H5N1, NAMRU-3 confirmed, but the WHO said widespread poultry deaths have not been found.
Djibouti thus becomes the first country in Africa to have detected a human case of H5N1.