modern+egypt

 =Swine Flu (H1N1) Reached Egypt?=  'By all standards, the H1N1 virus in its current form is a weak one ( comparable to seasonal influenza ) with a fatality rate in Egypt of one percent or less,' Dr. Mohamed Awad Tageddin, professor of respiratory diseases at Cairo's Ain Shams University, told IPS. 'More than 99 percent of those who contracted the virus in Egypt have recovered.'

Authorities in this country - where the H1N1 virus first appeared in early June - have taken drastic steps to contain the virus, beginning with the delay of the academic year for all schools and universities by one week. Also, in order to reduce congestion in Egypt's crowded classrooms, school days have been split into three shifts. This has, however, shortened periods from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.  =Six new bats discovered!= Quick News- Six new species of ancient bat dating back 35 million years have been discovered in Egypt, researchers say.

The new species were found by experts who analyzed 33 fossils(including teeth and jawbones)that had been unearthed over a period of decades in El Faiyum, an oasis region 50 miles southwest of Cairo. . "It is [a] surprising diversity of new forms—we didn't expect to find nearly as many new kinds of bats as we found in the sample," said Gregg F. Gunnell, a paleontologist at the University of Michigan who led the study. The experts were also surprised to find that the new species were similar to some modern-day microbats, a group of bats that uses sonar waves to navigate and hunt in a process called echolocation.

"They are all pretty primitive members of modern groups, which is a little bit odd," Gunnell said. The link is the best evidence yet that modern bats evolved on the African continent rather than in the Northern Hemisphere, as some have theorized. Among the newly discovered species was a previously unknown "giant" version of the microbat family, which makes it perhaps the largest of the echolocating species yet found.  The cull was going ahead despite there being no cases of swine flu in Egypt. However, neighbouring Israel has two confirmed cases in humans. "It is decided to slaughter all swine herds present in Egypt, starting from today," said Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali, according to Mena news agency. Swine flu has spread from Mexico to several countries around the world. || || **From Muslim Qandeel, BBC Arabic**
 * =Egypt slaughters pigs to stop flu= ||
 * Christian Fraser assesses the scene at a pig farm From: __BCC news__
 * Egypt has begun a mass slaughter of thousands of pigs in an effort to prevent swine flu spreading.**

Zaraib, or Stables, is a shanty hidden away in Western Cairo. I had to gain access by jumping over a wall as police have blocked off the area. Here they breed pigs that feed on refuse. Thousands of Christians live here - and there is one Muslim breeder too, despite the ban on pork in Islam. People are anxious about the cull, fearing it will destroy their livelihood and the government will not give compensation. "We have been living here for years doing this. We will not surrender," one breeder said. They are threatening a strike. "Let Cairo drown in garbage." || The pigs in Egypt, a largely Muslim country, are raised by the Coptic Christian community. Estimates of the number of pigs range from 250,000 to 400,000. Up to 169 people are believed to have died in the outbreak - all but one of them in Mexico. Confirmed cases of swine flu have been reported in numerous other countries, including New Zealand, Spain, Austria and Canada, but most have been mild cases. Many of those victims had been to Mexico, prompting airport screening for passengers displaying potential flu symptoms. Egyptian authorities increased numbers of medical staff at Cairo airport to check passengers arriving from Mexico and will monitor them during their stay. Egypt suffered during the outbreak of bird flu, between 2004 and 2008, with 22 deaths reported. The latest swine flu is a variation of H1N1, which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis. However, this strain contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine. Pigs can act as a "melting pot" for several flu strains. Egyptian universities and schools had been set to begin their academic year the last week of September, but foreign ones started earlier this month. The government decided to delay the school year last week, the official said. American University of Cairo vice president Brian MacDougall said the university was asked on Tuesday to delay classes, which the university began on September 6. An official at the French embassy confirmed that it has been told all French schools in the country must close until next month. A Western diplomatic official said the decision affected US, British, French and Italian schools, as well as others. Two people have died of the disease in Egypt so far and 886 have been infected.