By Xinhua
Islamabad : Two people died of bird flu in northwest Pakistan, Pakistani National Institute of Health confirmed Saturday.
The two cases were detected in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), local TV channel Dawn News reported.
The administration of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Thursday said that two brothers Mohammad Ilyas and Tariq, who were brought to the hospital from Mansehra in NWFP on suspicion of carrying H5N1 virus, died of bird flu, according to a local media report.
“The two brothers have been confirmed as bird flu victims and are the first human sufferers of the disease in our country,” Dr Siddiqur Rahman, Acting Chief Executive of the KTH, was quoted as saying.
The two brothers were working at a poultry farm in Mansehra and were brought to the hospital in a serious condition, said Rahman.
One of them was in critical condition at the time of arrival, Rahman said, adding that the health ministry took blood samples after their death and sent them to Islamabad to verify if they were carrying Bird Flu virus.