The Prime Minister, Dr. Ahmed Nazif, chaired a meeting 8/1/2008 for the Supreme Committee to Combat Bird Flu and in attendance were Ministers of Defense, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Environment, Higher Education, Health, Transport, Agriculture and Local Development as well as Governors of Qalubyia, Giza, Dahaklia, Sharkyia, Damietta and Fayoum.

Dr. Nazif issued many decrees in the meeting included all aspects of poultry’s production and distribution where he confirmed the importance of accurate enforcement of such decrees aiming to control the disease and to combat it in a firm and comprehensive way:

First: The Ministry of Agriculture shall cooperate with governorates though intensifying supervision on farms and taking required procedures towards farms which are affected. The Minister of Agriculture decided to stop farms where disease was proven of a minimum period of six months so that safety ways of such farms can be studied.

Second: Governorates shall increase intensify on commitment to ban totally any home-raised poultries in cities.

Third: Set future plan on developing home-raised poultries in countryside aiming to raise awareness for preventing contact between human and poultries particularly with children.

Fourth: Accurate follow-up on enforcing decree on trading live birds especially through roads between governorates as well as intensifying penalties and determining special cars to be licensed for transporting poultries.

Fifth: Follow-up on decree of closing wings shops and ensuring prevention of such activity in unofficial form in some places.

Sixth: Follow-up on project of automated slaughtering houses establishment where slaughtering houses will be circulated in all governorates to absorb the daily production of 2 million chickens.

In this context, the report showed that the capacity of automated slaughtering houses increased to cover million chickens. Dr. Nazif confirmed the importance of completing the slaughtering houses required to complete this capacity during six months.

The Supreme National Committee shall send Dr. Nazif, during a week, a comprehensive map for poultry farms distribution as well as existed or suggested slaughtering houses which will cover farms aiming to form integrated network at the republic level to be finished during a year.

Dr. Nazif praised the role played by the Egyptian armed forces in helping to establish many slaughtering houses in a developed and quick way.

Seventh: Increasing the media awareness campaign which already started to raise the public awareness towards bird flu dimensions.