Muneeb abattoir

Well today I did something I certainly have never done before and never thought I would do.

I may have mentioned before that I've been doing a lot of work with vector-borne and zoonotic disease (viruses and bacteria that can infect people but are carried mostly by insects and animals). One of my projects in this area is to develop innovative surveillance systems to detect outbreaks of these diseases before they spread and affect a large portion of the general population. This project therefore targets populations that are at high risk of being infected with these types of diseases, populations that have close interaction with animals and are in areas with high vector density. Specific examples include employees of abattoirs (slaughterhouses), live animal markets and animal quarantine facilities.

The first project that's actually getting off the ground is going to take place in an abattoir here in Cairo. Today I had to visit the abattoir to do an assessment before we actually begin work. Definitely something I never thought I'd do. I'll spare you the details and just leave it to say that we were given a tour of the facilities by a representative from the division of the Ministry of Agriculture that oversees the abattoir and then had to watch a couple animals being slaughtered. It wasn't quite as bad as I had expected but I certainly felt a little queezy by the end of it.

I have to go back three times next week so perhaps I'll write more then...