Egypt 'battling' with bird flu
2006-10-11 14:12
Cairo - A new case of human bird flu, the first since May, was detected in Egypt on Wednesday, indicating behaviour had been slow to change despite widespread awareness campaigns, said officials and experts.
Health officials announced the H5N1 strain of bird flu, its most aggressive form, had been detected in a woman from the northern delta province of Gharbiya.
They said Hanan Abul Magd, 39, was tested for bird flu after suffering from high fever and shortness of breath. She was believed to have been infected when she slaughtered her ailing flock of ducks.
Her infection brought to 15 the number of human bird flu cases since the virus was first detected in February in Egypt. Six cases turned out to be fatal and eight people recovered after being treated with Tamiflu.
'People not accepting the change'
But, despite widespread government campaigns in co-ordination with groups such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), Egyptians who relied on poultry for food and income were failing to comply with safety precautions.
WHO expert John Jabbour said: "There is a big problem with behavioural change in Egypt. People are just not accepting the change."
Experts had criticised the government for failing to tackle the first outbreak boldly enough. Six people died between March and May this year.
Talaat Khatib, professor of food hygiene at Assiut University said: "The first time, the government was caught by surprise a little and did not take all the necessary precautions. But, they have been working very hard since.
"There is also less of a threat now after the government slaughtered so much infected poultry during the last outbreak."
Govt 'trying to control bird flu'
But, while the government did slaughter millions of infected birds on large farms, the question of domestic rearing was still a problem.
Teams of experts from Egypt's Supreme National Committee to combat bird flu were deployed throughout the 20 affected governorates in Cairo, handing out brochures and offering advice.
Jabbour said: "The government is trying to control it. But getting into all the homes is a very long and difficult procedure.
"People are still hiding their poultry. There is an awareness problem and a cultural problem."
Abul Magd had been keeping 11 ducks in her backyard. When two of the ducks died, she slaughtered the rest of them.
Jabbour said: "This is the most dangerous exposure, to slaughter infected animals. It is something that certainly could have been avoided."
Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, was on a major route for migratory birds and was the hardest-hit non-Asian country since the bird flu epidemic broke out in 2003.
According to the WHO, the H5N1 strain of bird flu had killed more than 148 people worldwide.
- AFP