The Egyptian authorities closed Cairo zoo and seven other state-run zoos around the country for two weeks from Sunday after 83 birds died there, some from the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, Reuters reported. Witnesses saw dead and sick birds inside the zoo grounds on Sunday and the Health Ministry said that six of the 83 dead birds had tested positive for bird flu. A ministry statement said they included species of duck, turkey and Chinese geese. The zoo has slaughtered 563 birds and drained all the ponds there, it added. On Sunday, zoo workers sprinkled disinfectant around the cages and zoo manager Talaat Sidraus told reporters the aim was to gain control of the situation "before disaster strikes". Since the first announcement on Friday the authorities have reported cases of bird flu among poultry in at least eight provinces, stretching from Dakahlia and Biheira on the Mediterranean coast to Qena in the far south. No human cases have been diagnosed in Egypt.
