EGYPT: Government appeals for calm after appearance of bird flu among poultry

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CAIRO, 19 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - The government appealed for calm after poultry infected with the H5N1 virus, known as bird flu, were detected in three different Egyptian governorates, including the capital, Cairo. “There is no immediate danger,” said a source at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, who requested anonymity.

According to reports in the state press, four infected chickens were detected in Cairo, two in nearby Giza and one in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Minya, on 17 February. Initial medical examinations of citizens living in close proximity to the birds tested negative for the virus.

“No one in the vicinity of the chickens in question has been infected,” cabinet spokesman Magdy Rady said. The spokesman added that poultry kept in contact with the infected birds were being speedily destroyed and buried in an effort to reduce the risk of further contamination.

Rady’s comments came in the wake of an emergency 17 February cabinet meeting attended by the prime minister and the ministers of defence, information, environment and agriculture, among others. The government has announced an intensification of its efforts in coordination with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to stave off a potential outbreak of the virus.

Preventative measures by the World Health Organization (WHO), in coordination with the ministries of health and agriculture, were also reportedly stepped up over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Egyptians reacted with anxiety following news of the discovery.

The apparent lack of available vaccines or treatment has become a major source of concern. “There’s only one medicine that can cure avian flu,” said a pharmacist in the middle-class Cairo neighbourhood of Dokki, requesting anonymity. He said that the bird-flu treatment Tamiflu “isn’t yet available in Egypt”.

According to Dr Ahmed al-Minawi, an associate professor at Cairo University, the logistical challenge of procuring treatment for the Egyptian population is daunting. “Tamiflu’s an expensive drug, and it must be taken daily,” he said. “It’s also quite difficult to manufacture, and there currently aren’t enough manufacturing facilities worldwide. But currently there’s no other method of treatment.”

Al-Minawi went on to note that a large number of people who raised poultry, especially in the capital, did so in close proximity to their living quarters. “The potential for disaster in Cairo, with a population of 17 million, is greater than in other cities,” he noted.

Government officials insist that, for the moment, there is no real cause for concern regarding an outbreak among humans. Nevertheless, according to the WHO website, it is only a matter of time before the virus – which can only be transferred from birds to people following repeated close contact – mutates, giving rise to a human pandemic. “Each additional human case gives the virus an opportunity to improve its transmissibility in humans, and thus develop into a pandemic strain,” reads a statement on the WHO website.

In an attempt to allay fears among a jittery public, a government-run telephone hotline has been set up to allow citizens to report suspected cases and to provide information on the virus. Since October, the government has banned the importation of live chickens and the shooting of migratory birds.

[ENDS]