This habit is widely spread in the rural areas, and must be stopped in order to prevent the spread of serious diseases. Greetings by kissing have become a popular habit even among people working at the same place. This is absurd and hazardous. Some countries, aware of these hazards, have already levied fines on offenders.
MP Nabih, however, admits that penalty alone would not be enough to halt it. Men of religion and the media should help make the public aware of the health hazards involved in the exchange of greetings. [rc]
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007
June 9, 2009
EGYPT: Drive to stop kisses as greetings as Egypt detects swine flu cases
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DUBAI, Emirates / Gulf News / The Region / Egypt / June 9, 2009
By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
Cairo: More than three years ago, Dr Adel Ashour, a pediatrician, started a campaign to stop kisses as a way of greetings in this country of 80 million.
At the time, his campaign did not generate much attention. He still thinks that current fears about a potential outbreak of swine flu give his campaign a sense of urgency.
The reason for my campaign is the fact that kisses are a vehicle for the transmission of around 15 diseases, said Dr Ashour. According to him, the list includes the common flu, bird flu, swine flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, rubella, tuberculosis and some types of hepatitis.
Kisses can help spread such diseases in a populous country like Egypt, he told Gulf News. He particularly warns against kissing children because their immune system is not mature yet. Kissing does not reflect passionate greetings. In fact, it is a tradition, which should be replaced with dry greetings, i.e. handshakes. This shift is particularly important as the world fears a pandemic of swine flu.
On April 29, Egyptian authorities ordered all pigs in the country to be slaughtered. Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Hatem Al Gabali has advised the public to avoid crowded places and wear face masks as preventive measures against swine flu.
Medical specialists say that washing face after being kissed is as important as washing the hand after a handshake. Anyone who cannot avoid exchanging kisses with another should wash his/her face, because the possibility for catching viruses through kisses is higher compared to a handshake, said Dr Hassan Hamad, a specialist in infectious diseases.
Over the past few days, Egypt has reported three swine flu cases in a US girl coming from the Netherlands, and two students at the American University in Cairo.
The cases have fuelled concerns about an outbreak of the potentially fatal virus. Mahmoud Nabih, an MP for the Nile Delta town of Mansoura, has proposed a draft bill to ban kisses and punish offenders by a fine of LE500 (around Dh333).
This habit is widely spread in the rural areas, and must be stopped in order to prevent the spread of serious diseases. Greetings by kissing have become a popular habit even among people working at the same place. This is absurd and hazardous. Some countries, aware of these hazards, have already levied fines on offenders.
MP Nabih, however, admits that penalty alone would not be enough to halt it. Men of religion and the media should help make the public aware of the health hazards involved in the exchange of greetings. [rc]
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007
This habit is widely spread in the rural areas, and must be stopped in order to prevent the spread of serious diseases. Greetings by kissing have become a popular habit even among people working at the same place. This is absurd and hazardous. Some countries, aware of these hazards, have already levied fines on offenders.
MP Nabih, however, admits that penalty alone would not be enough to halt it. Men of religion and the media should help make the public aware of the health hazards involved in the exchange of greetings. [rc]
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007
