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The past few days, Egypt has been the focus of most of the bird flu news floating around the Internet.
The Arabic papers continue to print stories of new `suspect’ cases being tested in hospitals, and yesterday, one opposition newspaper printed charges that cases were being covered up by the Health Ministry.
In response, the Egyptian Health Ministry has issued a denial. This translation by Dutchy on Flutrackers.
Mountain denies cover-up of the Ministry of Health on the dozens of cases of bird flu
4/9/2009 3:38:00 PM
CAIRO - Editor Masrawy - The Dr. Hatem el-Gabali, Minister of Health, the ministry dealing with The issue of bird flu in full transparency and the report published by the press on Thursday to cover up the situation of 27 bird flu totally false.
A statement distributed by the Ministry of Health said Thursday that since the first confirmed case of bird flu among humans in Egypt in March 17, 2006 and the government to deal with this important health issue with full transparency and clarity not cover a single case of confirmed SARS case.
He added that the ministry announces the position of suspected cases of the disease periodically and the result of awareness campaigns among citizens that the frequency of the Ministry of Health hospitals and the situation of 6443, which dealt with cases of suspected it to be sure that there is an injury.
He appealed to the mountain all the media in ensuring that the information published so as not to result in a state of panic among citizens.
Since more than 6,000 people have been tested for the virus over the past 3 years, it is certainly possible that a couple of dozen people were tested during the three-day time period in question. Thus far, however, the incidence of positive tests has only been about 1%.
From Egypt Daily, we get this report, which outlines the recent human cases, and discusses some of the challenges facing Egypt in the control of the virus.
Egypt must intensify efforts to combat avian flu, say experts
By Tamim Elyan
First Published: April 9, 2009
CAIRO: As the number of reported bird flu cases continues to rise in Egypt, attention is directed towards the government’s efforts in controlling and eradicating the disease.
H5N1 first hit Egypt in February 2006. So far, 63 people have contracted the virus, 23 of which died and 35 were treated. Three patients are still undergoing treatment.
On Wednesday, another case was reported of a two-year-old from a village in Giza.
This week, the Ministry of Health announced that 6,337 cases were isolated for suspicion of carrying the virus. From Cairo alone 843 cases were tested but were all found negative.
The highest infected cases were found in Menufiya with seven people carrying the disease. Six cases were reported in Fayoum and Qena each; while Menya, Qaliubiya and Gharbeya reported five cases each.
Three cases were reported in each of Cairo, Aswan, Kafr El-Sheikh and Daqahleya, two cases in each of Assiut, Sohag, Beni Suef, Damietta, and Sharqeya, while Alexandria, Suez and Beheira only reported one case each.
Egypt - like China, Vietnam, and Indonesia - relies heavily on the vaccinating of poultry to control the H5N1 virus. Over the past year or two, questions over the effectiveness of these vaccines have been raised by many scientists.
The OIE (World Animal Health Organization) maintains that countries need to move away from vaccinating poultry, and focus on more traditional methods of control; namely humane culling.
In Avian influenza and vaccination: what is the scientific recommendation?, the OIE reiterates their strong recommendation that humane culling be employed to control avian influenza, and advising that vaccines should only be used as a temporary measure.
While the OIE concedes that some nations may require the use of vaccines for `several years', they strongly urge that countries move away from that program and towards the more conventional culling policy.
Whether the vaccination program in Egypt is contributing to the silent spread of the virus among poultry is subject to debate.
There are many advocates of poultry vaccination, and in countries where millions of families raise birds, vaccination may be the only practical option.
In developing countries, where people depend upon domesticated birds for needed food and income, selling the idea of culling isn’t an easy task.
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