BIRD FLU IN EGYPT NOW!!!!!

It is official now. Avian FLU reached Egypt. It has been confirmed by the World Health Organization and have just been reported by Reuters just 10 mins ago. Don't believe the government media if they deny it.

CAIRO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus have been
found in dead birds in three areas of Egypt, a senior official from the
World
Health Organisation (WHO) told Reuters.
"There is avian flu now in
Egypt,"
Hassan el Bushra, regional adviser for emerging diseases the eastern
Mediterranean regional office of WHO said. He did not name the three areas
but
said birds had died from the deadly H5N1 virus.

Also earlier today at 10 am there was an emergency meeting headed by the prime minister and the defence, Interior, Agriculture and Information ministers according to Reuters too!!!

Egypt ministers meet over dead bird suspicions
17 Feb 2006 13:51:53
GMTSource: ReutersCAIRO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Egyptian ministers met on Friday to
discuss the possibility that a case of some bird deaths in the Egyptian capital
may have been due to bird flu, a government official said on Friday.
"There
is a case of dead birds in Nasr City (an area of Cairo) ... We received this
news and were invited at 10 a.m. this morning to hold this meeting (of
ministers)," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
The
official said the meeting was to discuss the possibility the birds may have died
of the deadly H5N1 virus.
The meeting included Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif
and the agriculture, interior, defence and information ministers. A health
source, who also asked not to be named, said officials were meeting to discuss
possible bird deaths from the virus. But he did not give details.
Egypt has
banned the import of live birds and has tightened quarantine controls at
airports to keep out bird flu. It has also cancelled the annual bird hunting
season to minimise contacts between people and migrant birds.

Nothing was mentioned at all by the official government news agency MENA as expected as they will try to hide the truth from the Egyptian people as usual.

[5.45pm update] Official governement statement was announced on local Television.
They said 7 cases of chicken were tested positive for the H5N1 and results were confirmed at 3am Cairo local time on Friday. They were all home grown.
4 cases in Cairo, 2 in Giza (Greater Cairo) and 1 in Menia (~3oo km south of Cairo).
I will post more info later.

Here are direct link to what Reuters said

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L17780949.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LA658623.htm

here is also the link to the website of the official Egyptian news Agency that should have been the first to post the news

http://www.mena.org.eg/