The Egyptian presidency has released a statement following the announcement of discovering the bird flu in Egypt. The statement said that President Mubarak has issued directives to deal with the disease in full transparency and truth.

The statement also referred to the plan put by the government since October to face the bird flu in case of its appearance in Egypt. All steps taken by different bodies of the state showed the seriousness of the government in dealing with the disease.

However, some newspapers confirmed, recently, the existence of some cases of avian flu in Egypt, but the matter was denied by the Ministry of Health. Therefore, transparency and truth are needed in dealing with the disease in order to avoid any rumor on the disease.

The Egyptian government has launched an awareness campaign on means of prevention and treatment of the disease. The state-run TV has started a media campaign to provide peoples with information on the disease.

All parties, national societies, NGOs and individuals are responsible for assuming their roles in dealing with this disease. The government is responsible for taking all protective procedures and getting rid of infected birds.

Sherif Reyad
Al Akhbar