Egypt's Health Ministry has sent a medical convoy to conduct tests and provide treatment after 67 people were infected by an unknown virus in a village in the south of the country.
Egypt's Health Ministry has sent a medical convoy to conduct tests and provide treatment after 67 people were infected by an unknown virus in a village in the south of the country.
The infections have caused mild to moderate symptoms in most cases, including high fever, bone pain and fatigue lasting three to five days in all cases, the health ministry said on Monday. Vomiting and nausea have also been reported in some cases.
The mildness of symptoms should put people's minds at ease, says the ministry.
A convoy was sent last week and another with three personnel is heading to the village on Monday afternoon, the ministry said.
The ministry has struggled to determine the illness in patients in Al-Qus village in the Upper Egyptian province of Qena as the symptoms are similar to those suffering from a cold or influenza viruses.
Samples have been taken from those thought to be infected as well as local water sources for testing, the ministry’s statement added.
Over the past few weeks, many residents in the Al-Qus have reported their symptoms to local health care units, leading experts to suspect an outbreak of dengue fever in the village. Tests conducted by the ministry on those infected have not confirmed its presence so far.
As the disease is borne by mosquitoes, residents have been asked to cover water sources and avoid contact with the insects until further tests are conducted.
According to the World Health Organisation, dengue fever typically presents flu-like symptoms lasting 2-7 days. Symptoms first emerge 4-10 days after an infected mosquito bite.
Common symptoms include high fever, accompanied by at least two symptoms such as headaches, pain behind the eyes, nausea and vomiting, swollen glands, joint, bone, or muscle pains.
"Bone pain"
...Say what now?
8Per another article, it's dengue fever. Which in Ye Olden Tymes was known as "break bone fever" due to the excruciating bone and joint pain it causes.
5My only regret is that I have Boneitis
5Pain in the joints I know. Bone pain I don't know either
2Ow my bones hurt ow oof ouch
2Bone hurting juice
2
Tests have come in, it's dengue fever.
There are also big dengue outbreaks in Laos and Bangladesh.
6Jesus is it is just getting reported more is everything falling apart? It's like every week I read about some outbreak of a disease that I thought was extinct. I half expect the smallpox to be next.
2My guess is, it's a bit of both. Some things have always been around but get reported on more, like cases of bubonic plague.
Other stuff, is making a comeback in places that had once eradicated it because of falling vaccination rates or rising inequality.
And, new stuff is evolving.
2
Thank you for the update.
1