Dr. Hamdi Al-Sayed has three characteristics that make his opinion on swine flu different from mine. He is a doctor, he is the Chairman of the Medical Association, and he is the Chairman of the Health Committee of the People's Assembly. He wrote me a message saying: "I read your daily column on Al-Masry Al-Youm and I disagree with what you wrote on the problem of pigs in Egypt. Firstly, there is no country in the world where pigs live amid blocks of flats with humans, birds and animals, and are taken care of by garbage collectors deployed throughout the city. In the developed world, pigs live in five-star barns with healthy food away from residential areas, and are taken care of by workers enjoying health and social care. Secondly, pigs are the only animals carrying avian, human or pig viruses without falling ill, and they are the ones in which the H1 N1 virus has mutated in Mexico, has started moving from human to human and has become a global threat. Thirdly, three years ago the Health Committee of the People's Assembly recommended to move pigs away from residential blocks for fear that the bird flu virus H5 N1 could mutate within their bodies and become transmissible from human to human, thus becoming a stronger virus leading to premature deaths. Yet, the transfer was delayed for bureaucratic reasons, and let me remind you that bird flu is still among us and is still dangerous, especially as birds and pigs live ones close to the others.
Fourthly, the proposal to slaughter pigs came from the brave MP Ibtisam Habib, so no one can think that the decision was made for sectarian reasons. She was keen to give just compensation for pig owners, even though they are wealthy. She was keen to provide those pig breeders with health care and decent job opportunities, and to dispose of garbage and set up a large number of garbage-recycling plants in a safe way. And we backed her.
Finally, the decision to get rid of pigs has been the only decision unanimously approved by the People's Assembly, regardless of political and sectarian affiliations.
I hope we will look at this decision in light of Egypt's specific circumstances and its desire to protect its people from an imminent danger." I think the fourth item of this letter is enough to silence all those who said pigs have been called and slaughtered for secret reasons. Indeed, let me say that those who made such poisoned comments are the ones who most deserve to be slaughtered.
