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You're watching UNICEF Television.

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A climb to the rooftops hasn't always been a part of Wafaa Ibrahim's daily routine,

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but for months now it's been here that she's had to keep her ducks and chickens,

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and where she must come to feed and look after them.

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Wearing a mask for her face wasn't always necessary either,

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nor the careful washing routine that she performs before returning to her apartment below.

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But with Egypt increasingly threatened by bird flu virus, Wafaa knows she can take no chances.

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The first I heard about avian flu was on television, when there were cases in foreign countries.

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Then when I heard it had arrived in Egypt, I started taking precautions of my own accord,

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like keeping the birds up here on the roof and making sure the children didn't go near them.

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The additional hygiene precautions that Wafaa now follows

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are the result of awareness-raising sessions like this one in her own home.

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Under a project supported by UNICEF, community health workers go house to house,

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teaching women and girls, who are usually the ones responsible for looking after the poultry,

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how to protect themselves against a potentially lethal virus.

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Simple tools like a flip chart show clearly, for example, the safe way to dispose of dead birds.

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Schools are the other prime focus of the awareness campaign.

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For many Egyptian families, poultry are a vital source of income and nutrition,

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and several children have already fallen victim to bird flu.

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Knowledge is the best way of ensuring that these youngsters stay healthy.

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I know that avian flu, it spreads through migrating birds.

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If someone handles birds, they should wash their hands properly afterwards.

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Despite the growing risks, the breeding and trading of live poultry

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is a vital part of the national economy here.

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And as new cases of human infection continue to surface,

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the awareness-raising campaign is being stepped up across the country,

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recognition of the menace the virus now poses to birds and humans alike.

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This is Simon Ingram in Cairo, reporting for UNICEF Television.

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Unite for Children.