Concern spread in Menoufia governorate Tuesday after eight people suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus were put under medical observation after arriving from Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea, Al-Shorouk newspaper reported Wednesday.
Ahmed Abdel Hamid, who lives in Berket al-Sabea City in Menoufia, told Al-Shorouk, “there are concerns of the spread of disease after one of the residents of the city came back from Equatorial Guinea.”
Hanaa Serour, undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Menoufia, said no symptoms of the Ebola virus have appeared on the eight people but they are under medical observation for 21 days to ensure they are not infected.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health again declared Egypt free of any cases of the deadly Ebola virus on Tuesday. The ministry’s statement warned Egyptians from travelling to West Africa, especially Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Liberia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will appoint an emergency committee on Aug. 6 and 7 to decide if Ebola is a public health emergency that should cause international concern, Senior Communication Officer at the World Health Organization Rana Sidani told The Cairo Post Saturday.
Ebola, one of the world’s most virulent diseases, was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1976 and the country has had eight outbreaks since. According to researchers, the virus multiplies quickly, overwhelming the immune system’s ability to fight the infection, AFP reported.
