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TB prevention

MRS SUZANNE Mubarak has welcomed the launching of the Stop TB Partnership, reports Reem Leila. "Tuberculosis is a global problem requiring global solutions, and the strong commitment and cooperation of diverse actors and nation states," Mrs Mubarak said in a keynote address in Cairo as she congratulated the WHO regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean for launching the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) Stop TB Partnership. "We all have very important roles to play in providing a launching pad for a momentum in addressing this situation," Mrs Mubarak added. Coinciding with the 14th coordinating board meeting of the Stop TB Partnership, last week's launching ceremony was attended by Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali and Hussein Gezairi, the WHO regional director. Mrs Mubarak praised the efforts of WHO, the Stop TB Partnership and the ministries of heath in the region for ensuring implementation of the Stop TB strategy and making treatment and care available.

Reviewing Egypt's progress, Mrs Mubarak said the Ministry of Health and Population had reduced TB prevalence in Egypt to 30 per cent between 1990 and 2005. The treatment success rate now stands at 87 per cent and the detection rate at 67 per cent. She said the Egyptian national health reform plan had achieved considerable results, especially in creating more quality services and facilities for victims of TB, including the development of 39 new specialised hospitals. The reform plan had guided the development of diverse community-based systems which served to mobilise community involvement in fighting this disease, she added.

Gezairi said TB was still a significant development challenge for the region, causing loss of human life and posing a threat to the development process. TB, which is a totally preventable and curable disease, causes 110,000 deaths across the region each year, nearly 300 people every day. According to WHO, the region has reported improved case detection and success rates in previous years. Some countries have performed well and others are improving their performance. The average case detection in the region is 53 per cent, against the global target of 70 per cent, part of the Millennium Development Goals.

A gala event was also held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of WHO and the launch of the Stop TB Partnership. A cultural performance by children, videos on 60 years of WHO, TB in the Eastern Mediterranean and musical performances by a well known Nubian troop and a leading Egyptian singer were included in the festivities.

Engineer strike foiled

SECURITY forces on Saturday prevented a sit-in that would have included hundreds of engineers in front of their downtown syndicate protesting against the judicial sequestration on the Engineers Syndicate imposed since 1995, reports Mona El-Nahhas.

Central Security Forces which cordoned off the syndicate disperses protesters in nearby streets. Security officials told engineers that the law bans demonstrations and sit-ins.

The call to stage Saturday's sit-in was adopted by the so-called anti- sequestration group of engineers, formed in 2004 to press for an end to sequestration.

Two weeks ago, a peaceful sit-in was staged at the Alexandria headquarters of the Engineers Club.

Recent sit-ins organised by the group aim at implementing a ruling issued by the Administrative Court that calls for setting a date for elections and for opening the door to candidates. The ruling was ignored by the head of the judicial committee, authorised by law to set a date for syndicate elections. Engineers claim that sorting voters' lists was the pretext used for years by heads of the judicial committee to justify the delay in taking such a step.

"Fearing that an Islamist council may restore control over the syndicate is the only logical reason behind the stance adopted by the state towards us," Omar Abdallah, a leading member of the anti-sequestration group of engineers, told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Kifaya web blocked

THE ARAB Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) says the government-owned Internet service provider TE-Data has blocked the website of the activist Kifaya movement.

"The website of the Egyptian Movement for Change, Kifaya, has been blocked in Egypt since 4 May for users who have access to the Internet through TE-Data," an ANHRI statement said.

"The website is performing normally with other Internet service providers, but the technical supervisor of the website informed us that the TE- Data Co blocked the Kifaya website through the IP address," Kifaya website editor Samir Gad told ANHRI.

Several bloggers and Facebook activists were arrested after calls for general strikes on 6 April and 4 May. Speculation was recently rife that the government might block several websites, including Facebook, but the reports were officially denied.

TE-Data is a branch of Telecom Egypt and is the largest Internet service provider in the country.