By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 24 February 2015:
Following recent suspected of cases of the HN5 bird ‘flu in Tobruk, the Tobruk Crisis Committee . . .[restrict](TCC) has moved to stop all poultry shipments from Egypt, on the assumption that the source of the outbreak is Libya’s eastern neighbour.
After a meeting of the TCC, House of Representatives (HoR) member Abdel Nabi, who was in attendance, said that the group had already asked the Ministry of Interior to impose an official ban on all birds coming from Egypt.
Authorities in Tobruk became especially concerned a week ago after 100 chickens died within days, apparently from the disease. Samples from the dead birds were sent to Tripoli for analysis and vendors were warned to take the precautions. It is not thought that the Tripoli laboratory’s analysis has yet been completed.
Concerns were heightened five days ago when a doctor at an oil facility checked into Tobruk Medical Center showing symptoms of the virus. However, his tests came back negative and he is now being treated for an acute respiratory infection.
The HN5 virus spreads rapidly among birds. It is less able to infect humans.
According to the Mayo Clinic in the US, signs and symptoms of bird ‘flu may begin within two to eight days of infection, depending on the type. In most cases, they resemble those of conventional influenza.
These symptoms include a cough, fever, a sore throat, aching muscles, headache and shortness of breath. The clinic warns that some people also experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea. In a few cases, a mild eye infection (conjunctivitis) is the only indication of the disease. [/restrict]
