Birds fly, Mahmoud Bakr concedes, but what about pigs? Bird flu threw the country into panic, with health department telephones ringing off the hook -- people complaining of their neighbours rearing poultry on the roofs, reporting sightings of dead foul in streets and empty lots or, interestingly, expressing concern that the disease should spread to pig farms, something that would increase human risk. The death of a cat by avian flu in Germany could only compound those fears. It is with this in mind that the authorities have been monitoring all animals known to have been in contact with humans, including cats and dogs -- the work of Maged George, minister of state for environmental affairs, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to mount a health campaign targeting poor neighbourhoods and schools. "The Ministry of Environmental Affairs has received nearly 5,000 calls since the disease was reported in Egypt," George explains. "Most of the calls came from Cairo and Giza, where citizens are particularly concerned over the risk of poultry breeding at home. Thousands of birds have since been killed and nearly 600 tonnes of carcasses have been taken to a controlled burial site outside Cairo." In the process pig farms in Giza are now under continual supervision, with regular tests conducted. With 55,000 pigs in farms located close to residential areas, the threat to public health is said to be considerable. The Industry Committee of the People's Assembly has recommended the immediate relocation of pig farms outside Cairo and Alexandria since Mona Mehrez of the National Laboratory for Poultry Monitoring has reported cases of pig death in various farms in Cairo and Giza. A high-level committee from the Animal Research Institute is now looking into the cause. Available results indicate no infections. But several cases of death have been reported among pigs, and laboratories are still examining tissue from dead animals. Among other measures, Giza Governor Fathi Saad is moving pig farms from Baragil, Moatamadiya, Ard Al-Liwa, and Saft Al-Laban to non-residential areas -- with a three- months ultimatum issued to pig breeders. The governor drew up a committee of veterinarians, agriculturalists and municipal officials to examine animals within city parameters. The neighbourhood of Zabbalin (traditional garbage collectors) in Manshiyat Nasser, where garbage is manually sorted out, is of particular interest to health officials, for it is known to be used for pig breeding. Under normal circumstances, the risk of human infection is minimal; by feeding on food scraps, the animals offer economic as well as health benefits. But with public concern over bird flu mounting, several civil society groups are now working closely with the inhabitants of these areas to ensure that proper precautions are taken. "Members of the community have been advising Zabbalin families on the risk of bird flu," said Soheir Barsoum, head of the Society for the Protection of Environment against Pollution. Two other groups involved in the health campaign are the Spirit of Youth for Promotion of the Environment and the Society for the Welfare of Garbage Collectors. Nadi Sadek Iskandar of the Manshiyat Nasser Veterinarian Department says animals in the neighbourhood are regularly tested and no cases of infection have been reported: "Animal breeding spaces are being regularly disinfected and so far no deaths have been reported in this area." For his part, Cairo Veterinary Department chief Hussein Khalafallah has formed a committee of veterinarians to look into health risks involving animals within city perimeters. Iskandar, who is a member of the committee, has announced that over 600 farms with 60,000 animals are currently under observation and that all farm animals are to be immunised.
