Egypt fortifies against hemorrhagic fever threats

CAIRO – 21 November 2017: The Ministry of Health and Population declared a state of emergency in 36 air, sea and land ports as part of efforts to guard the country against viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), a Tuesday press statement read.

The ministry has directed the activation of preventive and surveillance systems after news has circulated regarding cases of VHF in the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala.

Sudanese press outlets reported last week that VHF cases increased among the population this year to reach over 70 cases until October.

According to Medhat Qandil, director of the Quarantine Department at the Cairo International Airport, authorities will be screening Sudanese passengers for possible cases of VHF.

Last week, medical sources told Sudanese press that there were two cases of persons suffering from hemorrhagic fever who died at Kassala Hospital about two weeks ago, bringing the total number of deaths to three in one month.

Qandil added that the Marburg virus, a VHF virus, has a case fatality rate of up to 50 percent. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it can be transmitted to people from animals, mosquitoes and human contact.

For his part, Khaled Megahed, official spokesman of the Health Ministry, told Egypt Today that Egypt is completely safe and has not registered a single VHF case so far.

Megahed also added that medication for VHF cases is available and is administered for free if any VHF case is confirmed.

He asserted that Egypt takes the necessary precautions and procedures to fortify against plagues and infectious diseases from at least 108 countries.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses; these include the Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, and yellow fever viruses.

Amr Qandil, head of the Health Ministry's preventive medicine sector, also affirmed that Egypt has an impervious epidemiological surveillance system that secures the country against the threat of epidemic and infectious diseases.

Last month, the Ugandan Ministry of Health notified WHO of a confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the Kween district of eastern Uganda. The Ministry of Health officially declared the outbreak in October, as five cases were reported.

As described by WHO, VHF viruses are severe and life-threatening viral diseases that are of particular public health importance because they can spread within a hospital setting, have a high case-fatality rate and are difficult to recognize and detect rapidly.

VHF viruses have common features of affecting many organs, damaging the blood vessels and affecting the body's ability to regulate itself.

Additional reporting by Walid Abdelsalam