The high number of reported bird flu cases in Egypt does not bode well, as the government is apparently falling short in efforts to contain the crisis. Egypt has the highest number of cases of the most infectious strain of bird flu, H5N1, despite being in the midst of its third attempt in nine years to control the disease.
According to experts and documents reviewed by Al-Monitor, previous efforts were undermined by administrative incompetence and a lack of political will, and the government faces enormous challenges if it is to contain the virus this time around. The Animal Health and Livelihood Sustainability Strategy of 2010, the government’s first attempt to contain the virus in 2006 through mass culling, vaccinations and compensation for farmers, suffered from poor management, a lack of transparency, widespread conflicts of interest among “core institutions” and a suspected lack of effective hygienic measures practiced by control teams.
