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Will the death the death of thousands of pigs, ordered by the Egyptian government, mean the death of the pork industry in Egypt? The government has ordered approximately 300,000 pigs to be slaughtered, in what the government says is a ‘precaution against Swine Flu’. This is in a country where there have been no reported cases of the flu. Farmers are absolutely furious and a small number have resisted the order, demanding they be compensated. The order comes in spite of the fact that Swine Flu cannot be caught through the consumption of pork meat.
The Egyptian parliament would like to see all pigs killed in the country, where the pig industry caters by in large only to the non-Muslim 20% minority. It is understood that 60,000 pigs are grown in a slum by rubbish collectors.
The threat of a pandemic is causing a lot of countries to take extra precautions against the spread of the disease. Particularly in poor countries that have weak public health systems. Egypt performed a similar act a few years back, in an over-reaction to the threat of an outbreak of Avian Flu.
The owner of one commercial ‘confined animal feeding operation’ just north of Cairo, adamantly refused to cooperate with Health Ministry. The government workers were sent to kill the pigs, but left without completing the government order.
Studies show that Swine Flu is present in most pig populations, globally. When tested, 25% of animals show signs of having either had the disease, or the disease is currently present. It is most unusual for labourers in pig farms, who have contracted Swine Flu, to infect anyone else, apart from their close family members.
A member of the World Health Organization firmly believe claims of over 150 deaths from Swine Flu in Mexico is an error. “The WHO had confirmed that worldwide there had been just seven deaths, in Mexico and only 97 confirmed cases of the disease,” says Vivienne Allan, from WHO’s patient safety programme. It is reported there are 109 confirmed cases in the US, with one death. 19 confirmed cases in Canada, 13 in Spain, 8 in Britain, 3 in both Germany. Only mild cases of the Swine Flu have been reported outside Mexico.
The World Health Organization says it is stopping using the name Swine Flu, in order to avoid confusion and putting the pig population in danger. Swine Flu will now be known by the title H1N1 influenza A. WHO has raised the pandemic flu alert to Phase 5. This is one step away from the highest level, which would indicate a worldwide outbreak of the flu. WHO did not believe they would need to raise the level any higher.
“A and B type influenza, the seasonal influenza accounts for approximately between 250,000 – 500,000 deaths globally each year,“ says the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Only three influenza pandemics have occurred in the last century.
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