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CAIRO - Egypt on Wednesday ordered the immediate cull of all pigs in the country to avoid any outbreak of the deadly swine flu, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali said.
"It has been ordered to immediately begin the slaughter of all herds of pigs in Egypt," Gabali told reporters after a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak.
He said slaughter houses were to begin the culling process on Wednesday at the fastest rate possible.
Further precautionary measures such as the launch of a widespread awareness campaign and an increase in the production of protective masks and anti-viral Tamiflu medicine would also be introduced, he said.
Egypt's agriculture ministry says there are 250,000 pigs in the country, belonging to and eaten by the members of the Coptic Christian minority.
On Tuesday, Egypt's lower house of parliament called for the slaughter of the country's pigs amid fears over the spread of the swine flu.
- AFP/ir
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