Egypt tests camels from Sudan for coronavirus, RVF: official

CAIRO – 2 February 2020: Egyptian veterinary teams have tested camels imported from Sudan for Corona and the Rift Valley fever, Ahmed Abdel Karim, an official at the General Organization for Veterinary Services told Egypt Today.

The Agriculture Ministry, along with other relevant ministries, have continued to take precautionary measures in the border areas to prevent the spread of the Rift Valley fever, a viral zoonosis that can be transferred from animals to humans.

Egypt is now allowing the import of live camels from Sudan in accordance with strict measures, Abdel Karim said, adding that the quarantine period for camels have increased from 10 to 15 days. Other livestock, however, is still suspended, he noted.

Khaled Morsy, another official at the general organization told Egypt Today that no suspected cases of Rift Valley fever had been detected or reported in Egypt, affirming that the livestock in the country are being vaccinated.

The death toll as a result of the coronavirus rose to at least 304, according to media reports. The deadly virus emerged in December last year in China’s Wuhan city.

In a press conference held on Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) bureau in Cairo stated that all world countries will be equipped with coronavirus detectors within a week and that those will be delivered to Egypt in two hours.

The organization added that the region and the world consist of labs that can diagnose infected individuals whose number is currently 11,953 mainly in China. The virus evolves in 20 percent of patients, and incurs the death of two among every 100 patients. Yet, the infection rate is still unknown.

The regional bureau highlighted that the Middle East is one of the most vulnerable areas in the world because of the flights coming from China directly and indirectly. Nevertheless, the organization called for not imposing restrictions on air transport affirming that treatment has proven its effectiveness and asserting that cooperation is key to overcome the crisis.

Also, Egypt’s national airline EgyptAir on Thursday announced suspending flights between Egypt and China, after the last Chinese delegation currently in Egypt departs on February 4th, amid an outbreak of a new deadly coronavirus.

Flights between Egypt and Hangzhou in eastern China will be suspended starting February 1st, while those to Beijing, the capital, and Guangzhou, northwest of Hong Kong will be suspended starting February 4th until further notice, to prevent the coronavirus (nCoV), which emerged in December last year, from entering the country, EgyptAir said in a statement.