Rising panic has accompanied the implementation of emergency measures to contain the spread of avian influenza which has also affected a 17 billion pound industry The announcement on Friday that the H5N1 strain of avian flu had reached Egypt may not have come as a surprise, though the sense of shock was palpable. It was almost inevitable that the most pathogenic strain of the virus that has already infected 196 people and killed 91 in Asia and the Middle East would be found in Egypt, which lies on a major route for migratory birds. Following Friday's announcement the government issued repeated assurances that all necessary steps were being taken to prevent the spread of the virus and there have been no cases of human infection. Yet the announcements were unable to stem a rising tide of rumour as the public, unused to such openness, posited its own theories. The situation, believed many, must be serious for the government to go public with its concerns. The flu, said others, probably hit Egypt months ago and is only being made known now because the government needs the cooperation of the public to contain its spread. The rumours took on a life of their own, spreading via word of mouth, sms messages and e-mails, while officials took to the airwaves in a concerted effort to contain the growing panic. On national television, and in the press, government spokesmen reiterated that nothing was being held back from the public and the government was dealing with the mounting crisis with openness and transparency. There is acknowledgment at the highest levels that to contain the virus the public, media and the government have to work hand in hand. "The government is committed to announcing all the facts... to control the crisis the government, people, and the media have to work together," said Cabinet Spokesman Magdi Radi. President Hosni Mubarak will preside over a ministerial meeting today in order to assess the campaign aimed at containing the virus. A Supreme National Committee, headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, was immediately formed to formulate and execute plans to control the spread of the virus. The committee, which includes the ministers of health, agriculture, environment, defence and interior, moved quickly to ban the transport of fowl and urged poultry outlets, as well as the estimated two million people who raise chickens on their rooftops, to cull all birds. As promises of compensation for losses were made, the government decided to buy all healthy stock reared by farmers until 25 March, in a bid to curb the losses of hard hit farms. Exact estimates of the plan are expected to be made public within 72 hours. "The time has come," said Nazif, "to stop this practice of rooftop poultry rearing." The prime minister's injunction came after it was reported that the majority of infected birds had been raised on rooftops where many people breed chickens, ducks or pigeons to supplement their income. Addressing Parliament yesterday, Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza said the crisis was expected to end by the second half of March, following the end of the current breeding season. The public has been urged to report any suspected cases of avian influenza, to which end 23 emergency phone lines have been set up. The numbers have been publicised in the press and on television and people are being encouraged to call if they suspect someone they know is showing symptoms of bird flu. Agriculture and health ministry officials man the telephone lines around the clock. When suspected cases are reported a team of vets is immediately dispatched to investigate. The area around any suspected outbreak is cordoned off while samples of suspected poultry and dead birds are taken away for testing in a sealed army truck. Should the tests prove positive the team returns to supervise the culling of all birds which are then burned and buried in designated areas. Nasr El-Sayed, responsible for preventative measures against bird flu at the Ministry of Health, says quarantine and decontamination measures apply within a three-kilometre radius of the site of infection. Zoheir Halag, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) representative in Egypt, praised the way the Egyptian government is handling the situation, saying that all the appropriate action was being taken. The WHO, he said, has "reviewed all the precautions and procedures conducted by the government and is convinced they are being implemented in accordance with international recommendations." Such assurances, though, have had little impact on the growing sense of panic as it was made public that the flu, initially detected in three governorates, had now spread to 12. For the first time since being founded in 1891 the Cairo Zoo closed its gates on Monday and will remain shut for at least two weeks. Eighty-three birds are reported to have died at the zoo and a further 563 birds have been slaughtered. All ponds in the zoo have been drained and on Saturday workers disinfected cages. The aim, said zoo manager Talaat Sidraus, is to gain control of the situation "before disaster strikes". When news spread that anyone failing to comply with the culling order could face fines of up to LE10,000 the slaughter started in earnest. But the 23 lines proved woefully inadequate for the inquiries of millions of frantic people and many took matters into their own hands, throwing dead birds in streets, garbage cans and -- alarmingly -- the Nile. One farmer left 10,000 newly-hatched chicks to their fate on a desert road. Shocked motorists contacted the police after seeing the chicks being run down by cars. Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali has appealed to the public to dispose of dead birds sensibly. "We appeal for cooperation. People can use plastic bags as gloves and place dead birds in another bag and then inform us," he said in a news conference. "Please do not throw these things into the street. And do not, repeat, do not throw them into the Nile." The warning may well have come too late. When, on Tuesday, a satellite channel carried reports that drinking water had been contaminated with the virus due to dead birds being dumped in the river Nile panic spread like a bushfire. Many stores ran out of mineral water, and the panic buying continued even after the irrigation minister appeared on television to announce that drinking water was safe and, to prove the point, drank a glass of water before the cameras. In a joint press conference the ministers of information, health and agriculture joined WHO representatives to announce that of the 5,000 people tested who had come into direct contact with infected birds not one had positive results. There is no vaccine for avian flu, though anti-influenza drugs such as Tamiflu can help alleviate symptoms if taken early enough. Minister of Health El-Gabali said that about 80,000 packs were available in addition to 6,000 already available at hospitals. The media is playing an active role in encouraging people to eat poultry and eggs, running advertisements that underline the fact that there is no risk involved in eating properly cooked poultry since the virus dies when exposed to a temperature of 70 degrees. People should wear gloves while washing poultry and then wash hands with soap. Members of parliament were photographed eating chicken in front of the People's Assembly in an attempt to instill confidence but many remain unconvinced. In another attempt to dispel fears, the entire cabinet, headed by Nazif, as well as journalists covering the meeting, all shared a fried chicken meal. Nevertheless, housewife Somaya Abdel-Meguid vowed: "I will never eat chicken again". And she is not alone.
