Dialogues of Naguib Mahfouz: Fighting the flu By Mohamed Salmawy Mahfouz: I am worried about bird flu. I believe that we should deal with the outbreak in the way we deal with football, and definitely not in the way we handled the ferryboat disaster. These are two different modes of action, and we're capable of both. If we act in the way we dealt with the ferryboat crisis, covering up the issue and paying compensations to the families of the victims, we'll have another crisis on our hands. The other method is one based on good preparations, scientific thinking, and tireless effort. This is what we should do to contain the outbreak, and I know we can do it. The reason we won the African Cup, let alone the 1973 War, was that we lived up to the occasion and acted with a sense of responsibility. Salmawy: Let's go into details. What do you want us to do? Mahfouz: First of all, we have to tell the nation the truth no matter what. Diseases cannot be contained unless the public and the authorities cooperate in full. Without the help of the public, we cannot expect to be successful. I was pleased to see the Health Ministry doing just that, involving the people in the campaign to contain the disease. We didn't hear the news in the foreign media first, nor did we receive it in the form of rumours. On the contrary, we had official statements issued by the Health Ministry at our disposal. This is a good thing, for it shows we've got our act together. It would be a good idea, I think, for the government to issue a daily bulletin updating the public on the problem without exaggeration or embellishment. The public needs to know if progress is being made and whether more efforts are needed. We cannot move ahead unless the people are aware of the seriousness of the situation. We'll have to make sacrifices, but sacrifices are only justifiable under duress. Let's keep this in mind, for any attempt to hide the facts would make the public reluctant to cooperate. I believe that we should start issuing a daily bulletin with accurate figures about casualties and infections. Salmawy: Wouldn't that cause a public scare? Mahfouz: When Egypt was hit with a cholera epidemic in the 1940s, the government issued a regular bulletin informing the public about the methods of fighting the epidemic. We knew the daily number of casualties and this made us follow the recommended procedure. I expect the Health Ministry to issue such a bulletin. Minister Hatem El-Gabali should do that, because daily news reports are not enough. The ministry has already won the confidence of the public, and now it is time to involve the public in fighting this disease. The public expects a daily bulletin from the ministry, for newspaper reports can be inconsistent.
