Avian Influenza: Update Azerbaijan
March 21, 2006
On March 21, 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection had been confirmed in seven patients in Azerbaijan; five of the seven patients died. This marks the first report of laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 influenza in Azerbaijan. Six of the patients resided in a small settlement in Daikyand in Salyan Rayon in the southeastern part of the country. Of these six, four were persons 16 to 20 years of age who had lived together or near each other; all four died. The source of their infection is under investigation. The other two patients in Salyan are a 10-year-old boy, who has recovered, and a 15-year-old girl, who is hospitalized in critical condition. The seventh case in Azerbaijan was in a 21-year-old woman from the western rayon of Tarter. She died on March 9. For additional information, see http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_03_21a/en/index.html.
Page last modified March 21, 2006