Achievements

Achievements in control of Avian Influenza
Strategic planning

Contribute in the development of the national strategy to combat Avian Influenza and participation in technical committees of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Supreme National Committee to Combat Avian Influenza and cooperation with relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Environment to formulate a mechanism for implementation of the strategy to combat the disease

Laboratory diagnosis of Avian Influenza

The National Laboratory examined all samples collected from farms & households from all governorates. The total number of samples in 2009 was 716400 samples from farms, backyards and live bird markets, the total number of positive foci is 287 and since the epidemic began, all positive results were sent to all relevant ministries

Awareness and training

Organization of one day workshops on Avian Influenza control for 3300 trainees from the various relevant miniseries such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Environment ,the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of Interior , Ministry of Local development , Ministry of Information , Ministry of Education (Agricultural Education) , the Shura Council ,NGOs, agricultural extension , religious men (Muslim clerics, Christian) , workers in the poultry industry and veterinarians from Arab and African countries.
Upgrading the diagnostic skills of veterinarians in the regional laboratories subsidiary to Animal Health Research Institute (26 branch) where the reception and processing of samples are done in these laboratories . All the required equipment & training activities were funded by the World Bank
Organization of several workshops about the importance of biosecurity in commercial farms as it is the first line of defense in the governorates to raise the awareness of poultry producers about the standard methods to prevent the introduction of the disease
Public awareness campaign was carried out under the slogan "together to combat Avian Influenza," and to increase the awareness among rural people. About 2473 seminars were held at all the villages in the following governorates (Menofia – Gharbia – Sharkia – Beheria - Dakahlia - Giza - Fayoum – Beni Suef -- Minya – Qena ).


Network was established to connect the regional laboratory in governorates

To increase the rapid response in case of recent positive focus , six laboratories established in the governorates (Luxor - Dakahlia - Fayoum - Alexandria – Sharkia - Beheria), organized training courses to the veterinarians in these laboratories on diagnose avian influenza, supply these laboratories with all advanced equipment and these labs are accredited in accordance with international standards ISO 17025.
Improve the laboratory information management system and upgrade the technological infrastructure of the laboratory and establish a network between the central laboratory in Dokki and its branches in the governorates


Upgrading of the diagnostic capacity of central laboratory

New unit has been established for gene analysis of the avian influenza virus , all the unit staff were trained in the international reference laboratories and to conduct genetic studies on influenza viruses. All the information about the Egyptian isolates mutations , the importance and seriousness of these mutations and determine the extent of mutation of viruses are published in Gene Bank
Establish a new unit to examine the antibiotic residues and mycotoxins, hormones in foods of animal origin as well as examination of malachite green residues in fish in accordance with international standard ISO 17025
Establishment of a new unit to calibrate the temperature of the laboratory equipments such as "sterilization ovens, incubators, refrigerators, freezers," and adopted in accordance with International standard ISO 17025
Establishment a new unit to produce laboratory diagnostic kits ( antigen & antisera) for viral diseases of poultry


List of Publications and reviews in scientific international journals

Arafa A, Suarez DL, Aly M. M. and Hassan M. K. (2009): Phylogenetic analysis of HA and NA genes of HPAI-H5N1 suggests grouping of Egyptian strains into 2 distinct sublinages from 2006 to 2008. 7th international symposium of avian influenza, Athens, GA, USA, April 2009
Arafa A., Selim A.A., Hassan M. K. and Aly M. M. (2009): Genetic Characterization of mutant strains of HPAI-H5N1 that escaped detection by real-time RT-PCR diagnostic sets. In the 7th international symposium of avian influenza, Athens, GA, USA, April 2009
Aly M.M., Arafa A., Kilany W.H., Sleim A.A. and Hassan M. K. (2009): Case Report: Isolation of a Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza LPAI (H7N7) From a Black Kite (Milvus migrans) In Egypt In 2005. In the 7th international symposium of avian influenza, Athens, GA, USA, April 2009
4. Amanda L. Balish, C. Todd Davis, Magdi D. Saad, Nasr El-Sayed, Hala Esmat Jeffrey A. Tjaden, Kenneth C. Earhart, Lu’ay E. Ahmed, Mohamed Abd El-Halem, AbdelHakem M. Ali, Samir A. Nassif, Elham A.El-Ebiary, Taha M., Mona M. Aly, Abdelsattar Arafa, Eduardo O’Neill, Xu Xiyan, Nancy J. Cox, Ruben O. Donis, Alexander I. Klimov. (2009): Antigenic and genetic diversity of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses isolated in Egypt. In the 7th international symposium of avian influenza, Athens, GA, USA, April 2009
Giovanni Cattoli, Isabella Monne, Alice Fusaro, Tony M . Joannis, Lami H. Lombin, Mona M. Aly, Abdel S. Arafa, Katharine M. Sturm-Ramirez, Emmanuel Couacy-Hyman, Joseph A. Awuni, Komla B. Batawui, Kodzo A. Awoume, Gilbert L. Aplogan, Adama Sow, Andre` C. Ngangnou, Iman M. El Nasri Hamza, Djibo Gamatie, Gwenael le Dauphin, Joseph M. Domenech, Ilaria Capua. (2009): Highl y Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Subtype H5N1 in Africa: A Comprehensive Phylogenetic Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Isolates. PLoS ONE 4(3): e4842. doi:10.1 371/journal.pone. 0004842
Arafa, A. and Hanan. A. Fahmy (2009): Differentiation between vaccine and field strains of turkey rhinotracheitis virus (TRTV) by partial sequencing of fusion (F) gene. Assiut Vet. Med. J. Vol. 155. No. 122.
Hanan. A. Fahmy, Arafa, A., Kanawaty, Z. R. and Mahmoud, A. H. (2009): Molecular Detection of Pox Virus In Pigeon. In The 10th Scientific conference (Second international) of faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University. October 2009

Thesis
Fatma, A.A. (2009)
Pathological and immunohistochemical studies on avian influenza virus in birds)
M.V.Sc. thesis, fac. Of Vet. Med. Cairo University
Naglaa, M. A. (2009)
Comparative detection of avian influenza by rRT PCR and RT-PCR
M.V.Sc. thesis, fac. Of Vet. Med. Cairo University
Heba, M. H. (2009)
Phenotypic and genotypic characterizations of avian pathogenic Echerichia coli (APEC) and their assochiated virulence genes
Ph. D. thesis, fac. Of Vet. Med. Cairo University
Doaa, R. A. (2009)
Clinicopathological and histopathological studies on Strangles disease in Equine
M.V.Sc. thesis, fac. Of Vet. Med. Cairo University

List of International projects
A twinning project with the Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory in Germany (FLI ) and funded by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to adopt the National Laboratory as the first reference laboratory in the Middle East and Africa in the diagnosis of Newcastle and Avian Influenza diseases
Project of combating Avian Influenza in Egypt , funded by the World Bank and it aims to implement the active surveillance in the farms and backyards and to determine the prevalence of the disease in governorates
Implement the project of combating Avian Influenza , funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization, it aims to determine the presence of avian influenza