Coxsackievirus ruin Turkey’s economic expectations in summer

CAIRO – 28 August 2017: Turkey’s tourism situation has not been at its best during 2017’s summer, due to several Russian accusations of the spread of the Coxsackie virus all over the state’s resorts, which was denied by the Turkish Health Ministry.

Several Russian media outlets have warned during the past period from the growing dangerous viruses [Coxsackie], especially after the infection of an eight-month child in Antalya; the alleged news apparently affected the number of Russian tourists who used to choose Turkey as their first destination for spending their summer vacations.

According to Sputnik on March 2017, about 3 million Russian tourists were expected to head to Istanbul; however, after the virus allegations several Russian travel companies announced that the booking rate for Turkey has declined by about ten to fifteen percent during August.

Coxsackie is a dangerous and sometimes fatal virus; its symptoms begin with a sharp and sudden rise of temperature, leading to bowel disorder and skin rash. Without taking the right medication quickly, a patient’s condition might be more likely to develop into paralysis or brain membrane inflammation.

On August 9, the Turkish Health Ministry issued a statement denying the existence of Coxsackie virus in the state’s resorts. “Our ministry believes that such cases can occur in any country. According to the results of our investigation, there can be no talk of any epidemic,” the statement read.

However, later on August 17, the Turkish government informed the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer that they are ready to receive a delegation of experts to work with them on eliminating any threats regarding the growing virus.