A UN warning that the Middle East and Africa are vulnerable to the spread of avian flu has sounded alarm bells within the government, reports Reem Nafie Following the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's (UNFAO) warning last week that northern and eastern Africa were vulnerable to outbreaks of avian flu, precautionary measures have been reviewed and upgraded. The H5N1 bird flu strain virus has already been detected in Turkey and Romania, and Egypt lies on the migratory route of millions of birds. Following the UN announcement an emergency meeting was convened between representatives from the ministries of defence, agriculture and health, as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO), to discuss the threat and the means to combat it. The following day President Hosni Mubarak called a ministerial meeting to finalise contingency plans should any cases of avian flu be detected in Egypt. Health Minister Mohamed Awad Tageddin told the meeting that no birds tested so far had shown positive results. Egypt's civil aviation authorities are now preventing the import of live birds or their products, whether carried by passengers or as cargo. Thousands of French ducklings that arrived on Sunday on board an Air France flight were slaughtered in compliance with the new ruling on imports and then buried. There was confusion, though, at Cairo airport, caused by the ten day delay between the Council of Minister's 11 October ruling banning all live poultry imports, and the aviation authorities own order to airlines -- civilian and cargo -- to stop carrying live birds. In the lapse between the two a German shipment of turkey chicks and another of ducklings from the US that arrived at Cairo airport last Thursday were cleared by customs and allowed to enter Egypt. Egypt has called off its bird-hunting season, this year and next, and placed a ban on the issue of hunting licences in response to the global flu scare. Maged George, minister of environmental affairs, reports that 27 observation posts have now been set up along Egypt's borders to monitor the progress of migratory birds and test for the virus. Of a random sample of 500 migratory birds none had tested positive, said George. The Ministry of Health has also briefed veterinary units on how to identify the flu, and the reporting procedures to be undertaken should any cases be detected. The international attention focussed on avian flu has not -- so far at least -- affected the demand for poultry. Poultry sellers, who generally sell live birds, report that business is booming. None of the merchants, though, say they have received information on the disease from the ministries of health and environment. Few were aware that avian flu is most commonly transmitted through contact with live birds and not through eating infected poultry. Egyptian newspapers and television, meanwhile, have regularly hosted experts who stress that frozen poultry is harmless when cooked. It is a message that has yet to be taken on board by the public. "The best and healthiest chickens are the ones running around when you come to buy them," one woman told the Weekly. Such attitudes have led many to predict the avian flu pandemic will lead to increased demand for -- and therefore prices of -- domestically raised poultry. And with Bairam just around the corner poultry costs are expected to spiral. While measures aimed at preventing an outbreak appear to be firmly in place it is less clear what will happen should an outbreak actually occur. According to the WHO there is no antiviral for H5N1 and ordinary influenza vaccines are ineffective against avian flu. However, "two anti-viral drugs can help against the infection and may even prevent it if taken at precisely the right time. They are not vaccines but they can help to reduce flu symptoms and the risk of an infected person passing flu on to others. These are Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, and Relenza, known generically as zanamivir," says the WHO report on bird flu. Neither is currently available in Egyptian pharmacies, however, Taggeddin said on the TV show Al-Qahira Al-Youm on Monday that stocks of the anti-virals should be available next month and that the ministerial council had approved LE200 million for the cause. The UAE and Kuwait are reported to have spent millions on the necessary drugs while Saudi Arabia is stocking up on anti-viral drugs for the treatment of avian influenza ahead of January's Hajj. Health ministers from around the world and WHO and UN officials convened on Monday at the two-day Global Pandemic Influenza Readiness Conference in Canada. Vaccine development and access, particularly in poorer countries, was among the issues discussed. (see p.11)
