Egypt is trying to take all the steps necessary to combat swine flu but what measures can be taken to contain Syrian-Iraqi tension, asks Doaa El-Bey As the school year is about to start, the government is taking all necessary measures to avoid the spread of swine flu. Front pages covered the details of these measures, with Al Wafd writing 'On high alert to face swine flu in schools'. Al-Ahram blared, 'Closing classrooms is in the hands of the authority of the government if swine flu cases appear in a certain school'. Rose El-Youssef -- 'A new government plan to save 6.5 million employees from swine flu'. And in Al-Shorouq, 'Places allocated to quarantine infected students'. The editorial of the official daily Al-Ahram wrote that the world was approaching the moment of truth in battling swine flu because some recent developments have caused a state of panic, including the WHO's declaration that the virus affects the respiratory system and can cause failure of all its functions; that it has affected over 209,000 people and led to the death of 2,200; and expectations that it could infect one-third of all Europeans, a quarter of Japan and one million Mexicans. If the world picture is that grim, Egypt is supposed to take precautionary measures to fight the disease. But in spite of the government's continuous efforts, the editorial added, the media sometimes sends conflicting messages to the public, stating there is no need to panic because the virus is so weak, but at other times delivering stronger messages that indicate there is no hope if swine flu becomes an epidemic. "Thus the government should be more transparent so that people can understand the magnitude of the disease at present and its danger if it becomes an epidemic, God forbid. In addition, the ability of government bodies to confront H1N1 in case of a crisis should also be clearly stated," the edit read. It summed up by calling on the government and the people to cooperate in facing the crisis. The media was keen to cover the details of the return and the trial of Hoda Abdel-Moneim, the businesswoman known as the Iron Lady. Mohamed Amin wrote that there was a general feeling that Abdel-Moneim was given the green light to return, exactly as when she was given the green light to leave 22 years ago, and that her trial would be brief and she would be acquitted soon. She broke many Egyptian lives when she stole their money and fled to Greece. However, the important question in that story, Amin continued, is why there is a general impression that she was given the green light to return. Although she is not a member of the National Democratic Party, the National Council for Women or any other prestigious body, Amin ascribed this impression to the fact that decision-makers facilitated Abdel-Moneim's escape. Thus, it is very likely they allowed her to return as long as she paid for both decisions. "It seems that there is a 'national project' to reach a settlement with business people like Rami Lakah and Hoda Abdel-Moneim in the hope of starting a new page. Some observers link the new trend to the issue of presidential inheritance," Amin wrote in the daily Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of the opposition Al-Wafd Party. The inauguration of the Marioutiya belt road was hailed on the front pages of most newspapers this week. It cost over LE1 billion and is supposed to ease traffic congestion at the end of Al-Haram Street. The daily Rose El-Youssef wrote that it was a most important strategic road and Karam Gabr hailed the great project that was miraculously finished in only 24 months in spite of the difficult circumstances surrounding construction. It was built in a densely populated area that used to suffer from traffic jams. Gabr reiterated that Marioutiya is supposed to ease traffic jams in Al-Haram area but its impact would extend to the other belt roads to Giza and Mohandessin. "The issue is not building another belt road but the creative planning that treats the root causes of traffic problems rather than coming up with temporary solutions," Gabr wrote in Rose El-Youssef. The strike of the Italian garbage collection company left Giza's streets in filth. Cairo is likely to suffer from the same fate unless the problems of the garbage collectors are resolved. Mohamed Mustafa Shordi wrote in Al-Wafd that Egypt, the land of civilisation of over 7,000 years, has failed to get rid of garbage in a proper way. It had resorted to the bin men who collect the garbage by hand from every house. The method, which was regarded as uncivilised, was the best way to collect garbage without problems. However, a few years ago, the government contracted with big companies that were supposed to collect and recycle the garbage. But the government failed to create a system to collect money from the people to be able to pay these companies which cost the government far more than the old system. As a result, streets suffer from heaps of garbage in every corner. The question that Shordi asks the ministries of health, environment and local authorities is when they will be able to resolve the problem after the streets have become garbage bins that attract stray animals and endanger our health, and provide well organised services to the public. Magdi El-Gallad expressed satisfaction that the issue of using sewer water to irrigate vegetable and fruit crops raised by Al-Masry Al-Yom last week did not fall on deaf ears. He wrote that in reaction to the newspaper's campaign, the ministries of agriculture and irrigation started drafting a law that bans using sewerage water. The prime minister also held a meeting with the ministries responsible and started taking measures to uproot crops irrigated by sewerage water, and the president held a mini- ministerial meeting to discuss the problem. The government's reaction to the campaign confirms one thing: there are catastrophes that affect our bodies and corruption in the air we breathe. Nevertheless, silence and concealment are the state's firm policy. It does not move unless a newspaper or a parliament member sheds light on a serious matter. Moufid Shehab wrote in Al-Ahram that every Egyptian who reads about vegetables and fruits being watered with sewerage had become depressed. The problem, together with the dramatic events of Al-Bardaa village being stricken by typhoid as a result of contaminated water, are a cause for serious concern that even the numerous Ramadan TV serials cannot detract the attention of the people from. These problems have reached the ears of the political leadership, so the head of state ordered an emergency plan to fix the sewage irrigation problem. Shehab questioned whether it was necessary to remain silent about a domestic issue of such magnitude until the highest authority in the country intervenes. "Al-Bardaa had all the elements of drama -- the minister of health said the people of Al-Bardaa are the cause of the spread of typhoid after they set up a sewage network that does not meet standards. But the people of Al-Bardaa argued that they had no other option and they desperately needed the network to protect their children," Shehab wrote.
