Egyptian authorities have worked hard to spot any sign that the bird flu disease might strike in the Arab world's most populous country, state media reported Wednesday.

Officials from various government ministries met Wednesday to discuss a comprehensive plan for fighting against the bird flu, according to the official MENA news agency.

The ministers of agriculture, environment, civil aviation and transport have agreed to increase bird flu detection sites in Egypt to five, namely, in Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Ismailia and Gharbiya.

They also called for coordination between the various ministries and the World Health Organization and the American Naval Research Unit (NAMRU) to detect any bird flu cases in the country.

A national committee on fighting the bird flu issued a decree urging all fever hospitals across Egypt to heighten preventive measures against the disease.

"Different scenarios were prepared for with a view to handling any possible outbreak of the viral disease," Minister of Health and Population Mohammad Awad Afifi Tag Eddin was quoted by MENA as saying.

The environment ministry had banned the hunt of migratory birds and 1,500 samples of migratory birds had been examined at the NAMRU laboratories for the bird flu but results were negative, Minister of State for the Environment Magid George Ilyas was quoted as saying.

Egyptian authorities have said there was no sign of the bird flu in the country so far, but experts warn that pathways of migratory birds make an outbreak in the Middle East, including Egypt, almost "inevitable."

Source: Xinhua