National Committee for Combating Bird Flu held a meeting on Wednesday 27/2/2008 chaired by Minister of Agriculture with the presence of Ministers of Health and Environment, and Governors of Cairo, Giza, Kaliobeya, Monofeya, Gharbeya, Sharkeya, Fayoum and Dakahleya, and representatives of Ministers of Defense, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Environment and Information. The meeting discussed all the developments of the situation.

The committee reviewed different discussions and opinions on the latest developments of bird flu infection on the international and local levels.

- With regard to the international epidemic situation of the bird flu, the committee said that number of countries which announced bird flu infection on the website of the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) during the period from 2003 to 2008 reached 61 countries.

- Since January 2008 up till now, 15 countries declared the emergence of new hotbeds for the disease namely: Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

- The number of human bird flu cases on the world level reached 369 cases where 234 cases died.

- As for Egypt, the total cases since the emergence of the disease in February 2006 reached 44 cases, 24 cases of them were completely cured, and the dead are 19 cases and only one case under treatment. - Concerning the level of success of the national campaign for immunization against bird flu, Ambassador Ayman Al-Kaffas Spokesman of the National Committee for Combating Bird Flu confirmed that the total number of immunized birds before the first campaign from May 2006 till 22/6/2007 reached 90.5 million birds.

- He added that when the first national campaign (from 24/6/2007 till 24/2/2007) began the total number of immunized domestic birds reached 76 million birds.

- The second campaign began since 15/12/2007 as 39.628159 million birds were immunized till now in 25 governorates, and since the beginning of the second campaign, the immunization is continuing as follows:

o The total number of immunized domestic bird in different types reached 27.521465 million birds. o Total number of immunized chickens are 12.106694 million birds.The Spokesman added that the total positive cases in birds since 31/1/2008 till now are 23 cases, 4 cases in farms and 19 domestic cases.

- The committee stressed that the intensified media campaigns led to increasing awareness of people, which was reflected on increasing number of notifications whether in humans or birds to reach 10.000 reports during January, and 3100 reports during the current February. Ambassador Ayman Al-Kaffas noted in this regard that the decrease of human cases is attributed to the efforts exerted by the Committee in cooperation with the local councils, Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment, Interior, Defense and Information.