Swine Flu - Egypt Begins Killing Pigs - UN Says Big Mistake

"It has been decided to slaughter all pigs in the country immediately," Minister of Health Hatem al-Gabali said on Wednesday afternoon. Link

On Tuesday, the Egyptian parliament voted to slaughter the country’s entire pig livestock of around 250,000 animals in a precautionary measure.

Al-Gabali was quoted by the official Middle East News Agency as saying that all pigs will be examined to make sure they did not carry the virus before they are killed.

An awareness campaign will be launched through the local media and a committee will be established to follow up the virus.

The minister said that production of face masks will be increased to 100 million compared to the 2007 rate of 30 million.

"We have communicated with the Ministry of Tourism since lastSaturday to give us a daily report on and watch closely all tourists, especially those coming from the countries that reported cases of the virus," said al-Gabali, adding that they also increased the number of doctors stationed at the borders.

The Government’s decision came a few hours after the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group, said in a symposium on the health scare on Wednesday that swine flu is "more serious than the hydrogen bomb."

The Brotherhood - which, although banned, is Egypt’s largest opposition bloc in parliament - voted for the cull, and said that the swine flu outbreak demonstrated the wisdom of the Islamic ban on pork.

"It is God’s grace in his Islamic Sharia to permit all that is good for us and to ban what is bad. We could understand the wisdom of the ban, or we could not understand it. But eventually time proves the truth of God’s words to us," Sheikh al-Sayed Askar said at a Muslim Brotherhood-sponsored symposium on the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it is safe to eat pig meat.

"Swine influenza has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork (pig meat) or other products derived from pigs," the organisation said on its website.

Israel is the sole country in the region hit by the virus. It reported two cases of the disease on Wednesday. Both were tourists who had recently returned from Mexico.

Representatives of the World Health Organisation in Egypt on have stressed that the country was well-equipped to confront the virus because of its experience with the related avian flu virus.

Islam, the religion of 90 per cent of Egypt’s 80 million citizens, forbids eating the flesh of pigs. In Cairo, poor Christian garbage-collectors raise pigs on food waste.

Speaking at the forum, Mohammed Seif, a professor at the University of Beni Suef, some 150 kilometres south of Cairo, said he feared they could spread the virus.

"Garbage-collectors could multiply the spread of the virus because they raise pigs and enter most Egyptian homes," he said.

The WHO confirmed 114 cases of swine flu around the world with 13 cases in Canada, 26 in Mexico, including seven deaths and 64 in the US which include one death.

UN says Egypt pig cull real mistake

Link

Around 400,000 pigs are to be culled despite WHO advisories that well-cooked pig meat is safe [Reuters] The United Nations has called Egypt's move to cull 400,000 pigs as a precaution against swine flu "a real mistake". The Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of the pigs on Wednesday, saying it could help quell any panic in the country that is largely Muslim, who view pigs as unclean. No pigs in the country have been found with the new strain of H1N1 virus of the so-called swine flu and the World Health Organisation (WHO) says the disease cannot be caught from eating pork that is properly prepared. Joseph Domenech, the chief veterinary officer for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said the cull was "a real mistake". 'Real mistake' "There is no reason to do that. It's not a swine influenza, it's a human influenza," he said. The move to slaughter the pigs, kept mainly by the country's Christian minority, sparked an angry response from farmers, who said reported government pledges of compensation of $105 per animal were inadequate. Clashes were reported in Khanka, 25km north of Cairo, with pig farmers setting up road blocks and smashing the windscreens of veterinary services' vehicles as they sought to take people's pigs away. "Our pigs are healthy. They are our capital and they have no diseases," Adel Ishak, a rubbish collector from Manshiet Nasser, northeast of Cairo, told the AFP news agency. "How will they replace the capital if these pigs are killed?" Pork imports banned Swine flu: At a glance Deaths: Eight confirmed in Mexico and 159 more suspected. One death in the United States Countries with confirmed cases: Mexico, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Israel, Britain, Germany and Austria Countries with suspected cases: Australia, Brazil, France, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland, Colombia, Germany, Norway, South Korea, Guatemala Influenza epidemics: Annual influenza epidemics are thought to result in three to five million cases of severe illness and between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths around the world, WHO says. But Egypt's fears that a pandemic could have a devastating impact in a country where most of the country's estimated 80 million people live in the densely packed Nile Valley, is shared by several other countries, which have banned or restricted pork imports despite WHO's statement that eating pork is safe. Russia has banned meat imports from Mexico, as well as US states where cases have been confirmed, and banned raw pork from several other US states. China, the world's biggest pork consumer, has banned imports of live pigs and pork from Mexico and the US states of Texas, California and Kansas. Officials in the US and Europe have called for the disease to be given a different name to prevent consumers being put off eating pork, which could severely hurt the $25bn a year international trade in pork products, with the EU, US, Canada and Brazil the biggest exporters. WHO officials say the disease was given the name because it derives from a swine flu virus. Experts believe the H1N1 virus mutated from pig, bird and human viruses.

Cairo Ring Road or Death Road

Anyone who has travelled this ring road from say Maadi to Katameya, or points further, will agree it is the most dangerous road, with the most stupid, death defying drivers mankind can invent. Accidents are common, and no police presence to stifle the stupid drivers racing down the road at crazy high speeds, zigzagging all over the lanes. Not just cars but the 1/2 ton delivery trucks, mini buses, large articulate trucks, large buses all act the same. All rushing somewhere so they can have a sandwhich and tea and brag to friends how fast they made the trip. Night time is worse, with lots driving with no, or little lights, and huge trucks parked on side, or broken down, even in the so called fast lane.

Latest catstophe happened and persons I know took anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to get to Maadi. Even worse was cars being parked and abandoned on the highway lanes with no accident and going across road to see the blood and guts at accident scene. So, entire highway was blocked for several hours. The accident happend at night and even next morning it took 2 hours to get from Katameya to Maadi still because of idiots stopping cars, on both sides of highway, and getting out to see wreakage.

Here is description of latest death and injury accident from Egypt Daily Mail. Many who saw the carnage, question the validity of the number of death and injuries reported below.

You may also may wish to see this previous post on Egypt World's No. 1 In road Accident Deaths

Four dead, tens injured in Ring Road pileup

By Asmaa El Gammal
First Published: April 28, 2009

CAIRO: At least four people died and more than 30 were injured Monday in a road accident involving more than 20 cars on the Ring Road in Katameya.

Some of those injured are still in intensive care.

The accident involved a collision between a truck full of steel rods and a public transportation bus, followed by a collision of more than 20 cars coming towards the accident site at high speed, according to local press reports.

“The cars were crushed. There wasn’t a single piece that wasn’t destroyed,” said Ahmed Saad, an eyewitness to the aftermath of the accident. “It was really sad. They were dragging corpses out of the cars. I don’t know why people drive at this crazy speed.”

Saad was delayed for two hours on the Ring Road while police authorities asked drivers to move their cars to the sides of the road. “The entire road was a mess,” Saad said.

However, an official at the media center of the Interior Ministry said the remains of the accident have now been removed and traffic has eased.

Victims were taken to the Ahli Bank Hospital, the Yom Al Wahed Surgical Hospital in Basateen and the Kahraba Hospital.

According to a public relations officer at the Ahli Bank Hospital, 30 victims arrived for treatment, including four who were announced dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, 20 victims of another nearby accident in the Tagammu area were also brought in for treatment, including one who was dead on arrival. Most of these patients have been discharged, while a total of 13 patients from both accidents remain at the hospital. Three of these are in intensive care.

The Kahraba Hospital received only one victim, also in intensive care. The patient is unconscious and suffers from a broken jaw, injuries on the face as well as head and a possible chest hemorrhage.

According to local press reports, Ministry of Health officials put the total number of injuries in all three hospitals at 37.

According to the most recent statistics available on Egypt, 8,000 people were killed in accidents in 2006.

Swine (pig) Flu and Egypt

In case you missed this article in Egypt Daily News, it is repeated below. Everyone hopes the spread is contained world wide, but signs are not looking good. I wonder the ramifications in Egypt, of a Islam follower contracting Swine Flu. I have also included an article from UK Guardian below on treatment, as this Flu does respond to antivirals as Tamiflu and Relenza

Environment ministry demands relocation of pig farms

By Yasmine Saleh
First Published: April 27, 2009

AP Photo/Nasser Nouri An Egyptian farmer feeds his pigs at a private farm in Cairo, Egypt, Monday April 27. Egyptian health authorities are examining about 350,000 pigs being raised in Cairo and other provinces for swine flu.

CAIRO: Four days after the eruption of swine flu in Mexico, the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs ordered the swift transfer of all pig farms far from residential areas in Egypt.

In an official media statement released by the ministry on Sunday, all pig farmers are to be relocated to the 238-acre in 15 May city dedicated to raising pigs.

The new location is also to be used to recycle garbage, according to Presidential decree No. 338 for 2008.

The ministry, according to the press, release chose this location because it is the furthest and safest area to be used to raise pigs and recycle waste. The location was also chosen with the approval of Ministries of Health, Housing, Local Development and Agriculture.

The ministry has further listed nine areas where pigs are currently being raised in Egypt.

Among the nine locations, five are in Cairo: Ezbet Al-Nakhl, along the Cairo-Ismailia road; Mansheyet Nasser off the Autostrad; Batn El-Ba’ara in Old Cairo; Katameya, at the end of Katameya district and Al-Moatamadeya in Giza off the Sixth of October Corridor high way.

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report published on Sunday, the US reported 20 laboratory confirmed human cases of swine flu, also known as pig flu, eight in New York, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.

Until press time, no deaths had been reported in the US cases.

On Sunday, Mexico reported 18 new laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu after it was reported on Saturday that some 81 people died there after being infected with the virus.

The WHO and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) are sending medical experts to Mexico to support the health authorities. However, the WHO still did not recommend any travel or trade restrictions, according to its updated media release on Sunday.

On the other hand, the British Health Minister told the BBC news channel that England is safe from the swine flu. According to the minister, Britain has enough anti-viral drugs to treat the disease that it has also sent much of it to Mexico and the US.

Swine flu can be transmitted to humans who have direct contact with pigs.

Similar to avian flu, swine flu symptoms are like normal influenza. It is airborne and thus could spread among humans.

Q&A: swine flu treatment

Swine flu virus can be treated with antivirals Tamiflu and Relenza

• Rachel Williams
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 April 2009 14.04 BST
• Article history

Is treatment available and does it work?

Testing has shown that the human swine influenza H1N1 can be treated with the antivirals oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), according to the UK's Health Protection Agency. The health secretary, Alan Johnson, said yesterday that Tamiflu had proved effective on patients in Mexico. Demand has historically been greatest for Tamiflu, which comes in tablet form, while Relenza must be inhaled.

What do antiviral treatments do?

Drugs relieve some of the symptoms, reduce the potential for serious complications like pneumonia and cut the length of the illness by around a day. Crucially, they also reduce transmission of the virus from person to person. The government estimates that up to 750,000 people could die in the UK during a pandemic without antivirals.

How much of these drugs do we have?

The NHS signed contracts earlier this year with pharmaceutical companies Roche, which makes Tamiflu, and GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Relenza, to double its store of antiviral drugs, bringing our total capacity to 33.5 million treatment courses.

Is that enough?

The government's store would cover 50% of the population – everyone predicted to fall ill in the event of a pandemic. It says the UK is already widely recognised as one of the best prepared countries in the world. Previous flu pandemics have infected between 25% and 35% of the population.

What about a vaccine?

Scientists are working on developing a vaccine against the new strain. But reporters at a European commission briefing in Luxembourg were told that although the industry was working as fast as possible and new measures meant it could be on the market much quicker than a normal vaccine, the process could still take up to half a year.

---

Email Hoax - Cancer Update From John Hopkins Hospital

This information was posted as comment: and is serious for reader to research.
On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 3:35 PM, Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Cancer Update From John Hopkins Hospital":

Hi.
You should have searched the Johns Hopkins web site before publishing this as it is not from them and they debunk it as it is 98% nonsense.
http://www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org/index.cfm/cID/1684/mpage/item.cfm/itemID/1016
http://www.jhsph.edu/dioxins

This copy of orginal email received now debunked as a hoax
This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.
Please circulate to all you know; Cancer update
Johns Hopkins - Cancer News from Johns Hopkins
No plastic containers in micro
no water bottles in freezer.
no plastic wrap in microwave...


A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.


Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers...
his especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...
lso, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.

Update - GPS Ban in Egypt Lifted

Link to blog below at this site

Egypt lifts its unenforceable ban on GPS

Sunday, April 19, 2009 (05:08 UTC)

As Egypt's Daily News points out, the only two remaining countries banning GPS device use by citizens are now Syria and North Korea.

It will be interesting to see whether the early adopters of Egyptian iPhones, sold until now without GPS functionality turned on, will be able to get the GPS chip turned on via a firmware or software upgrade. Or else, it really sucks to be a law-abiding early adopter in Egypt.

Cairo-based friend and blogger The Arabist recounts an interesting rumor doing the rounds there as to why this change, now:

Ahmed Ezz, Gamal Mubarak’s right-hand man, imported a luxury vehicle equipped with GPS that customs did not want to release. So he asked his buddy Gamal [son of President Mubarak] to change the regulations.

The Arabist goes on to say he thinks the story is likely apocryphal, but it is telling nonetheless that this kind rumor has legs in Egypt, because many people consider it to be an entirely plausible explanation of how government policy is made.

Update- Drama of Re-License Larger CC Engine, Cairo, Egypt

We have a 9 year old Jeep Cherokee with 4000 cc engine. By new traffic law, engines above 2000 cc are subject to a re license fee at 2% of Vehicles assessed value. The Jeep is in my Egyptian wife's name, so off she went to Maadi Traffic Police to get the deed done.

After buying insurance for 150 LE (can anyone explain what this insurance is good for?), getting papers filled, buying stamps etc etc for about another 60 LE she went to pay any fines. Only to be advised the fines were 2500LE!!!!!!!!!. They would not provide any details (secret I guess) but did offer she had 2 parking tickets each at 500 LE each?????????. Anyway as all things in Egypt are negotiable, they settled at 570LE.

Next was tax for 1200 LE for 2 years. But, as they did not know value of vehicles yet, would only provide a 3 month car license as tax may change - they meant increase. All in all, cost was near enough 3000 LE all done, for 2 years but like I said has to return again in 3 months to see if any additional charges are due and then maybe get the license for remaining time. She did get the new blue and white license plates though.

So after 3 hours at this place of designed chaos, she finally had a legal vehicle for 3 months. Oh ya! also she bought a triangle and first aid kit for 25 LE, and 45 LE respectively. Bye the way, other customers at the Maadi Chaos center mentioned this Maadi Traffic place was so much better than other areas. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!

The drama does not end here.

A week later while on Lasilky street she had to go through a traffic police check point. To be advised the chrome front bumper guard was not allowed. Had been on truck for 9 years. She advised (or argued) that she just had the Jeep re licensed and they never said anything. He said to go back and gave her a receipt for the car license for one week's time.

We then got the bumper removed and she went back to land of chaos. Only to be told the chrome guards on back lights were not allowed. They had words like #*()^^^@### and she left in a huff. We got these removed also and now Jeep looks like a naked spirit of it's former self. But she got her car license after paying 46 LE fine.

I will continue the saga after she goes back in 3 months.

Well, 3 months past and after 2 1/2 hours at the Chaos traffic place, got the license renewed for 1 more year. So next year have to return ,as paid for 2 years, so will need to renew for another 9 months. Will the authorities ever figure out the new law on how to tax vehicles over 2000 cc or just give up and ignore it.