Intestinal Infection Outbreak Sparks Panic: Egypt’s Aswan Hospital Declares Emergency
Aswan Hospitals on High Alert Amid Intestinal Infection Outbreak
Hospitals in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan have declared a state of maximum preparedness after several cases of intestinal infections have spread over the past few days, with Egyptian health authorities investigating the cause.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that the final report on the cause of gastroenteritis “will be issued within 48 hours.”
The local newspaper, Al-Masri Al-Youm, reported that people in the area where some of their residents suffered from gastrointestinal ailments cited “water pollution” as the main cause.
Muhammad Mamun, a resident of Abu Al-Rish village, said: “Despite our complaints for decades about the contamination of drinking water in the village, no official responded to us and the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases has increased. People are increasing every day, and the health ministry is aware of this.”
Latest Developments in Aswan Governorate
The Egyptian Ministry of Health issued a detailed statement on the latest developments in the situation in Aswan Governorate, in the far south of the country, after a large number of cases of gastrointestinal disease spread, causing citizens to panic.
Another citizen said he “refused to open the water tap” inside his house for two days, fearing contracting an infection, as did his neighbors, and was forced to buy mineral water.
He said: “Everyone inside the village lives in panic, anxiety and fear for their children and waiting for their turn to be infected.”
“In light of monitoring the frequency of cases with symptoms of intestinal infection in hospitals in Aswan governorate…patients detained in the hospital were interviewed, and those who were provided medical services were followed up,” the health ministry indicated in a statement on Saturday.
Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said that “after preliminary testing of water stations and homes, it has been proven that there are no changes related to the presence of bacteria or microbiological changes in the water stations.”
He indicated a drop in the total number of cases requiring hospitalization and treatment, “from 63 to just 25 cases.”