CAIRO, 8 March 2010 (IRIN) - Egypt is moving to curb the spread of avian influenza (H5N1) after a recent upsurge in infections, the Egyptian Health Ministry says.

The sale of poultry between any of Egypt"e;s 29 governorates is to be banned, and a major Health Ministry-led awareness campaign will alert the public to the dangers of raising birds at home, Sabir Galal, deputy chief of the Veterinary Medicine Section at the Health Ministry, told IRIN. "Bird flu has become endemic in this country… The fear now is that the virus can assume more dangerous forms in the days to come," he said.

The Ministry also said it would stop inoculating birds after vaccines had proved incapable of stopping the virus from spreading.

With 105 infections to date, including 30 deaths, Egypt is the world"e;s third most affected country by avian influenza, according to the World Health Organization.

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