CAIRO: The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Cairo University has been able to produce the first Egyptian vaccine against avian flu, in collaboration with the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, a subordinate of the Chinese Academy for Agricultural Sciences. “After thorough testing to find the cause of the spread of avian influenza locally during the past three years, and testing the genetics of the strains using the latest state-of-the-art technology available at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, we have been able to come up with this vaccine and tested it on poultry,” explained Dr. Ahmed El Sounoussy, viruses science professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Cairo University. He explained that they have tested it on chickens to determine how their immune system responds to it, as well as the level of future protection — or immunization — the vaccine provides against the virus. “The preliminary results of tests conducted in China have found that the vaccine is 100 percent effective,” El Sounoussy said. “However, when tested on Egyptian poultry under the local conditions in Egypt, it has been proven that it protects [93 percent of] the flock against the avian influenza.” The Veterinary Services Authority has already launched the vaccine in the pharmaceutical market, as the virus is particularly active during the winter season. The final results of the vaccine's efficacy are expected to be determined approximately 90 days from the date that the chickens were first vaccinated. Last month, official Ministry of Health Spokesperson Abdel Rahman Shahin announced the death of a 30-year-old female in the Gharbeya governorate due to bird flu. This is the 37th death related to bird flu in Egypt since the disease first appeared in 2006; it is also the tenth bird flu-related fatality in 2010. In related news, officials recently revealed in their latest press statement that 218 cases of swine flu — which the authorities commonly now refer to as “emerging flu” — were found in Egypt between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18 of this year. Ever since the H1N1 “swine flu” virus started appearing last October, 533 cases have been found, 30 of which resulted in death. During the same time last year, when swine flu was widely considered a serious pandemic, there were 10,599 cases in Egypt and 134 related fatalities.
