One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous films, released in 1963, was called The Birds. The story centres around a northern California coastal town that is attacked by ordinary birds. Although the story is highly symbolic, the physical onslaught against humanity by the birds in the film easily comes back to memory – 43 years later – as the world battles against a potential real attack.

For many months, the bird flu virus was something that was distant from Malta. It was happening in far away Asia and, although we continuously heard about it in the international media, we felt secure in our tiny country.

It was only when traces of the virus were discovered in Europe that the first fears emerged. Will the virus be found in Malta? Will it spread? Will it mutate into a virus that could be transmitted from human to human?

Late last year, as winter set in and people became more concerned – also due to the fact that few made a difference between bird flu and a potential pandemic flu – the government thought it fit to embark on an awareness campaign to provide the public with more information.

A simulation exercise was also carried out to check the procedures that would need to be taken in the eventuality that a case of bird flu was discovered in Malta.

The presence of dead birds, common in our countryside, was no longer considered a natural occurrence but something more serious, and the authorities were flooded with phone calls of reported sightings of dead birds.

What happened at the Freeport a few days after the simulation exercise is a clear example. When seamen found dead birds on a ship, rightly so they immediately called the authorities. It turned out to be a false alarm, but many people would have done the same in a similar situation, given the circumstances.

Somehow, that incident seemed to have calmed things down for many weeks, until last Saturday, when the bird flu virus was discovered in wild swans in nearby Sicily and other parts of southern Italy.

Even the government had put the issue on the back-burner, probably because it did not want to re-ignite the debate when there was no reason to. Of course, this did not mean that monitoring was not being carried out. The government continued to treat bird flu matter seriously, keeping abreast of developments in Europe and elsewhere.

The news arriving from Italy has again jolted public debate on the issue, and fears have started to creep in again. The government was quick to react, and last Monday new measures were introduced in a bid to keep the bird virus away. These include the suspension of hunting at sea and the rounding up of wild ducks. All vehicles arriving from Sicily will also be disinfected.

It has been made clear that the bird flu virus in Italy was found in wild fowl and not in domestic poultry.

There is no doubt however, that there is cause for concern in the nearby peninsula and the same fears have surfaced in Malta.

The authorities have made it very clear that there is no cause for alarm.

The bird flu virus has not been detected in Malta yet. There is also no evidence that the disease is passed from human to human, and that the people who have died so far, most of them in Asia, were reported to have been in close contact with infected birds.

What is important now is that the situation should continue to be monitored as closely as possible. People should stay away from any dead fowl they see, especially if in big numbers, and report the matter immediately on freephone 8007-2211 or 7903-3044. Children should also be told not to touch any dead birds.

I am pleased to note that the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry is taking all necessary precautions to fight the bird flu.

The introduction of more measures was a step in the right direction. The rounding-up of the ducks which used to roam free on our shores, the fact that cars crossing over from Sicily are being disinfected and that hunting at sea has been temporarily suspended can all help.

But, as more countries in the heart of Europe are reporting cases of bird flu, I believe that it is good that the situation continues to be closely monitored.

I hope that Malta will never have to deal with the problem, but, if it has to, I urge the authorities concerned to do all that is possible to contain the virus. I am sure that the ministry is well-equipped to deal with the situation.

C. Camilleri

Sliema