EGYPT—Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture has rubbished recent reports alleging the emergence of a new lethal poultry virus , purported to be a variant of the deadly avian influenza virus.
According to statements from the Egyptian government, no strains of avian viruses are currently affecting the farms.
As a reassurance to the public, the Ministry stating that ongoing campaigns are being conducted nationwide to conduct health checks on fowl as a precautionary measure.
Avian influenza virus, which first attacked the country in 2006, has the potential to cause widespread fatalities among both domesticated and wild bird species, encompassing chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, and quails.
This news development comes a few years after the avian H5N1 outbreak during the 2021/22 wave, which resulted in the deaths of millions of birds across five of the seven continents in 2022.
Small scale farmers, most of who depend on poultry farming for their livelihood, have expressed fear of this virus because of its highly mutative nature – the viruses, which contain fragmented genomes, exist as multiple distinct parts rather than a single cohesive strand, which mean that two variants in the same host can mix genomes, exchange genetic material and create a novel variant with combined characteristics.
Due to this fear, unrest, and confusion, the ministry of Agriculture has advised media outlets against reporting such things without verifying information from official sources.
It also cautioned that spreading such unverified news could lead panic among the public.
In light of these developments, the ministry promised poultry farmers that there are ongoing efforts focused on maintaining regular poultry production cycles and ensuring their well-being nationwide.
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