Cairo: Egyptian health authorities have maximised their measures to combat bird flu (H5N1), after the virus killed six people this year in this country of around 87 million people.
Health Minister Dr Adel Al Adwai on Wednesday held a crisis meeting with an ad-hoc committee to discuss efforts to combat the virus amid expectations of a rise in infections this winter.
The Health Ministry called on poultry breeders to observe precautionary measures while dealing with birds in the winter when the avian virus usually spreads. The ministry has said it has enough stocks of Tamiflu used to treat the virus.
“A relative increase is expected in the number of the recorded H5N1 cases this year especially as the virus has become endemic in Egypt,” said Dr Amr Qandil, an aide to the health minister. “The Higher Commission on Bird Flu meets on a daily basis to monitor the situation.”
Residents of Egypt’s rural areas traditionally rear birds inside houses to meet their needs of meat and eggs, raising authorities’ concerns about a wider spread of the virus.
Head of the Veterinarians’ Association, Sami Taha, warned in press remarks, that Egypt’s Dh11 billion poultry industry faces the prospect of collapse unless more effective steps are taken to contain the epidemic.
Around one million of the nation’s workforce are employed in this industry, according to official figures.
Egypt has identified this year 12 cases of H5N1 infections, six of them fatal. A total of 66 people have died of bird flu in the country since 2006, according to health authorities.
