"It has been ordered to immediately begin the slaughter of all herds of pigs in Egypt," Health Minister Hatem al-Gabalias told reporters after meeting President Hosni Mubarak.
Precautionary measures
The reason for this unprecedented approach could be related to the fact that Egypt had been affected drastically by the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, and was hence taking the threat of influenza A (H1N1) (WHO recommended name for swine flu) "very seriously".
Gabalias disclosed that culling in the slaughterhouses would begin at the fastest rate possible. "As a precaution, slaughtering all pigs is a decisive measure and I think that Egypt has learnt a good lesson from fighting the bird flu," stated Nahed Ibrahim, a Cairo-based expert in medical and surgical treatment of animals.
Other measures undertaken are launching awareness campaigns, increasing production of protective masks and the antiviral drug Tamiflu.
An earlier proposal of relocating pigs outside residential areas had been rejected by Egypt's lower house of parliament on Tuesday, giving the go ahead for massive culling. However, there were talks about the possibility that the pigs will be slaughtered only after check-up, and the pork could be still sold or exported if the veterinary authorities gave a clean chit.
The health minister cautioned the people to immediately report in case of any person feeling any of the symptoms of swine flu. He also stressed the need to maintain cleanliness such as frequent hand washing and staying away from big crowds.
Besides this, the health ministry has dispatched an extra group of 22 doctors to the quarantine department at Cairo airport. However, the authorities have clarified that there was no ban on people traveling from countries infected by swine flu.
The other measures undertaken by the government was establishing an ad hoc committee to track the disease, supervise the production of face masks, train in stock breeding and also monitor the tourism and transportation sectors to trace the virus.
Outrage among pig owners
The decision of the government has created an outrage among pig owners. Consumption of pork is frowned upon by the Muslim community and it is the Coptic Christian families who form a major portion of Egypt’s pig farmers. The government's decision to slaughter is threatening their means of livelihood. No cases of the virus have surfaced in their pigs.
"Our pigs are healthy. They are our capital and they have no diseases," said Adel Ishak, a rubbish collector from Manshiet Nasser, northeast of Cairo.
"We remind Hosni Mubarak that we are all Egyptians. Where does he want us to go?" said Gergis Faris, a 46-year-old pig farmer. "We are uneducated people, just living day by day and trying to make a living, and now if our pigs are taken from us without compensation, how are we supposed to live?"
Update on influenza A (H1N1)
Nearly 148 laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu A/H1N1 infection in humans have been officially reported to the WHO. These are from nine countries, including 91 from the United States, with one death, and 26 from Mexico, with seven deaths.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has confirmed two cases, while it is currently verifying two suspected cases.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, coughing, joint pain, severe headache and in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.
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