The Egyptian Ministry of Health revealed the latest developments regarding the mysterious disease that appeared in two areas in Aswan Governorate in the south of the country, and whose patients suffer from symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
“The disease appeared in some villages in Aswan Governorate, not in the entire governorate as was reported, specifically in villages in Daraw Center,” said the Ministry of Health spokesman, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar. He noted that the disease had been detected since September 11, after an increase in the number of reports and arrivals to hospitals of people suffering from symptoms of intestinal flu (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea). A preventive medicine team headed by the deputy minister was sent to the governorate.
He noted that among the infected who visited the hospitals, 128 cases were admitted to receive treatment in the hospital, and then 22 cases were discharged after their condition improved until yesterday, indicating that the aforementioned symptoms are usually the result of eating or drinking.
The ministry denied reports of a large influx or overcrowding in hospitals due to the large increase in the number of infected people, as was reported, adding that the occupancy rate in the four hospitals that received the infected people increased by only 10 to 15%.
She confirmed that the situation has improved over the past two days, and reporting rates have decreased, and that the highest reporting rate was on September 19, with 25 cases, then this number decreased over the past two days.
He pointed out that the safety of the water was confirmed from the beginning by taking samples from 103 stations throughout the governorate, and the tests proved that they were safe and had no changes. Then, at a later stage, samples were taken from water distribution sites in the areas where infections appeared, and samples were also taken from food, restaurants and street vendors in the areas of infections.
The Ministry of Health spokesman explained that the cases that entered the hospitals are patients who did not receive treatment early, and they developed dehydration, in addition to those suffering from chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, while the rest of the cases do not need to be hospitalized, and they need treatment for a period ranging from two to 10 days.
Social media campaigns claimed that the water was contaminated and caused infections in Aswan Governorate, and called on citizens to buy water from stores instead of using household water. Some claimed that hospitals were filled with infected cases, but the Egyptian Ministry of Health denied this, and said that the initial results proved the safety of the water, and that it would announce the final results within hours.
Last updated: September 22, 2024 – 15:23
Suggest a correction
2024-09-25 01:06:27