Egypt's health minister announces number of respiratory syncytial virus infections

CAIRO – 21 November 2022: Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar held a press conference Monday announcing that 1,611 infections with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been diagnosed, mostly among children aged below two.

The minister said that the symptoms range between mild and medium, urging that children diagnosed with the virus should not go to school or nursery. He added that during the treatment, healthy nutrition and rest are essential.

Abdel Ghaffar added that symptoms, which are fever, runny nose, and headache, begin to show in 4-6 days since infection, and that tests can be done at 21 hospitals nationwide.

He further noted that Egypt has 27 units that monitor respiratory viruses, and that the RSV has been identified in 1956, stressing that it is not new and medics know how to deal with it.