Because of a barely func­tion­ing pub­lic health infra­struc­ture made worse by the Feb­ru­ary 2011 rev­o­lu­tion, Egypt is reel­ing from ram­pant avian flu and foot-and-mouth dis­ease (FMD), reported 14 May 2012. By late April 2012, FMD had claimed more than 20,000 cat­tle, buf­falo, sheep, goats, camels, and other live­stock across Egypt after being imported from Libya, where it resurged in 2011. The rapid spread of FMD has sent meat prices soar­ing in Egypt, which has made poul­try all the more vital as a source of pro­tein. How­ever, avian flu con­tin­ues unabated in the coun­try for a sev­enth year, lead­ing to the demise of mil­lions of birds. In addi­tion, the coun­try has now con­firmed 167 H5N1 avian flu cases in peo­ple, includ­ing 60 fatal ones, accord­ing to the World Health Orga­ni­za­tion. Both threats require exten­sive gov­ern­ment involve­ment, some­thing the new president—who will be elected 23 May 2012—will need to address.
(CIDRAP 5/14/2012)