Spooked by Bird Flu, Egyptians Hoard Water

Residents of Cairo Fear Chickens Dumped in the Nile Could Infect Their Drinking Supply

CAIRO, Feb. 25 -- Of all the panicky ways that people worldwide have sought protection from bird flu, perhaps the most striking took root among Egyptians last week. Via e-mail and through advice dispensed on crowded city streets, word went out: Don't drink the water.

Farmers, including the rooftop poultry breeders that are a Cairo fixture, had begun to dump stricken, dead chickens into the Nile River, the source of drinking water for millions of Egyptians, newspapers and satellite television reported. Taps were suddenly turned off and people rushed to stores to buy bottled water.

"I never saw anything like it," said Emad Abu Fouad, a grocer in the Bab al-Zuweila district. "People bought whole cases." No matter that the government had assured everyone that purification chemicals in public water supplies would kill the H5N1 virus that infects birds and, scientists fear, could mutate into a form that is easily transmitted among humans.

On Saturday, Abu Fouad put up a sign at his shop: "No Water," it read. "My supplier says he can't get more until Monday," he said.

People from East Asia to Western Europe have also reacted with alarm to the arrival of bird flu in recent months. In Western Europe, poultry sales plummeted after the virus was found in migrating fowl. But in Egypt, mistrust of official information leads to an especially emotional response. "There is little transparency in our society, and whatever information is given is likely to be false. It will take a long time for people to believe the government," Magdi Mehanna, a journalist, wrote in the independent al-Masry al-Yom newspaper.

I have said before and I will say again, we really need to look at what impact the destruction of the vast Iraq marshes by Saddam Hussein has had on bird flu. He destroyed 90% of the marshes after Gulf War I. These marshes were a major stopping place for migtratory birds (I don't know to what degree they were used for over wintering.) When we were developing budgets for restoring Iraq, the marshes were on the list for a useful amount of money. Then these funds were drastically cut. What restoration that has been done has been done with local labor and small amounts of funds from US and other donors.

The rationale for restoration of the marshes is that larger quantities of migratory birds would be able to rest and stay there. Lack of this resting place pushes quantities of birds into less favorable areas. In Turkey and other places they are forced to share small ponds with domestic water fowl, spreading disease. Overcrowding favors the spread of disease. If you look at the pattern of new cases, they either are not far from Iraq--Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus--or are on the major migratory route that included the Iraq marshes--Nigeria and neighboring African countries.

Why restoring the Iraq Marshes should help. A revitalized and expanded marsh area would reduce crowding of migratory birds (primarily ducks and geese) into other/settled areas. Overcrowding spreads disease. Better rested birds would not be as prone to catching diseases. If birds were sick, they would die in the marshes and not fly to crowded rural farming areas. [Amerians are accustomed to large farms of 100 and more acres. They don't think about the fact that in many poor parts of the world families of 5 to 10 people farm on one or two acres. They also live intimately with their animals/birds on these small plots.] We are now seeing this play out in Egypt and Nigeria. Pray that this terrible flu does not make the human to human jump before it gets here.

Thanks for the *PING*!, Tiger. I've been watching the Avian Flu very closely.

Wild geese and ducks visit me daily in the pond outside my window. They became very noisy early today and woke me up. I enjoy watching large migratory birds. They left earlier than usual last summer. I was concerned about West Nile Virus because it has been reported nearby. These birds appear to be very healthy albeit a bit cranky today.

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