Over a quarter of Egyptians who are aware of the dangers of bird flu continue to raise birds at home despite warnings that this could spread the deadly disease. Reem Leila presents a recent government poll revealing many other facts Thirty months on, how much have things changed? Are we still at risk? And are we any better placed to fight the deadly H5N1 virus? Although the H5N1 virus is still around, experts say it has been largely dormant in recent months. With 50 confirmed cases of the H5N1 bird flu virus in humans since the disease first appeared in early 2006 in the most populous Arab country, Egypt has been the worst-hit nation outside of Asia. Of those infected in Egypt, 22 have died. "Household flocks are the first source of transmission of the disease," a summary of the government's survey revealed, adding that despite the dangers, many Egyptians still raise birds. The Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Centre (CIDSC) surveyed governorates with a margin of error by 2.6 per cent. The poll, which cast a rare glimpse into attitudes of Egyptians towards the disease, said that 48 per cent of Egyptians who previously raised birds in their homes had stopped since bird flu was first reported in Egypt two years ago. But 28 per cent said they still kept birds at home. Additionally, three-quarters of respondents who ate poultry reported eating freshly slaughtered meat, which 75 per cent said was widely available despite efforts to get Egyptians to switch to frozen meat the government says is safer. "I do not trust the frozen poultry that is sold, and I continue to raise poultry because it is safe and sound," the survey quoted a 50- year-old man as saying in the southern province of Sohag. A 51-year-old woman in the Nile Delta who took part in the poll stated, "everyone raises birds in their homes and they did not stop keeping them at any time." Almost all of those who caught bird flu in Egypt contracted the disease from either direct or indirect contact with infected household birds. The survey also revealed that 40 per cent of Egyptians had cut their poultry consumption and 16 per cent had eliminated poultry entirely from their diets since the disease hit Egypt. Of those who cut their consumption, 89 per cent cited fear of contracting the disease as a reason. But 41 per cent of respondents said they had not changed their consumption. About five million households in Egypt depend on poultry as a main source of food and income, and the government has said this makes it unlikely the disease can be eradicated despite a large-scale poultry vaccination programme. The survey said that 89 per cent of respondents would report an infected bird if they knew of one, but 99 per cent did not know what number to call to do so. Additionally, respondents varied in what they would do with a sick or dead bird if they encountered one. Some 31 per cent said they would bury it, 20 per cent would burn it, 20 per cent would throw it in the garbage bin and 19 per cent would do nothing. "Whenever there is a search campaign in the area, families hide the birds, claiming they have no birds out of fear they would be taken or slaughtered without appropriate compensation," a 28-year-old woman told pollsters in the Nile Delta. The report conducted by the CIDSC estimated Egypt's total losses due to the deadly strain of H5N1 at LE862 million since the disease appeared in Egypt, until February 2008. These losses resulted from killing 36.8 million birds in Egypt. Since the first outbreak of bird flu in Egypt in 2006 until the end of 2007, the CIDSC reported that the Ministry of Health and Population has spent LE238 million to provide vaccines for the Avian Influenza virus and launch various types of campaigns to increase people's awareness of the dangers of the deadly strain. The Health Ministry will allocate an extra LE300 million to combat bird flu in the coming period. The report said the government applies the most advanced technology in combating the deadly virus and keeps itself up to date with similar measures followed in countries including the United States and Japan to combat the virus. According to the CIDSC survey, the government has issued approximately 250,000 bulletins about bird flu and how one can protect oneself against it. In addition, half a million fact sheets have been distributed to students to raise awareness about bird flu, the reasons of infection and possible ways of protection. The CIDSC report has confirmed that bird flu continues to hold much of the globe in its lethal grip, with more than 60 countries affected. Bird flu deaths totalled more than 230 worldwide since 2003 and have been reported in several African and Asian countries. Millions of birds have died or been destroyed as a result of outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain as far apart as northern Europe and the Far East. The number of cases among humans is also rising since the strain emerged in South-East Asia in 2003 before spreading to Europe and Africa. By the end of 2007 a total of 14 countries had suffered human cases, with Burma and Pakistan added to the list in the last few weeks of the year. Although the number of new human cases fell in 2007 to its lowest annual total for three years, the mortality rate continued to rise, topping 60 per cent by the end of the year. In June 2007 Indonesia became the first country to have 100 confirmed cases of H5N1 among humans. Over 250 million birds have died or been destroyed internationally. Globally, more than 379 people were infected of whom 239 died.
