Egypt - American University Quarantine Lifted

[Twall]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

looks like they closed the campus until next sunday. and the net has been expaned to include 234 which includes staff.

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

Blog from inside:


Jack’s Cairo Chronicles


LOCKDOWN!!

Posted on Monday 8 June 2009

2 residents of the AUC Dorm have been diagnosed with swine flu. The building is locked down by the Ministry of Health. No one can enter, no one can leave.

We figured:

“bah, nobody enforces any rules in Egypt, we should be able to just stroll on out, we’re FACULTY. They wouldn’t DARE stop us.”

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt. The doors are locked and there are many men standing in front of the doors. They are very apologetic and look very sheepish, but “Mish mumkin”

Hopefully the quarantine will be lifted today around 6pm, pending tests.

We are supposed to fly to Dahab tomorrow.

If they do lift the quarantine, or we manage to go over the wall, we are headed to a friends apartment for the night. And then leave from there for the airport.

Insha’allah.

Update: we just got throat swabs (and not in a good way).

It was the doctors knocking on the door at 3:30AM.

Hopefully we will know more later today, but I am not optimistic.

http://www.cairochronicles.com/jack/?p=312

[Twall]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

If you wish to edit any part of this information for any reason feel free to do so.

This email was circulated to the students of AUC earlier this morning. (I have removed the email addresses to prevent them from being spammed by harvesters)

From: Brian MacDougall
Date: Mon, Jun 8, 2009 at 8:27 AM
Subject: H1N1 Flu
To:


Please be advised that overnight the Egyptian Ministry of Health confirmed positive H1N1 test results for two AUC students. These two students have been hospitalized and are receiving the necessary medical treatment. A third student was also hospitalized as a cautionary measure because she had a high fever, which is symptomatic of this flu.


These students are all residents of the Zamalek dormitory and as a result the dormitory has been quarantined for 24 hours. The Ministry of Health has obtained samples from all residents of the dormitory and those results are expected later today.

AUC's medical clinic is working closely with the Egyptian Miistry of Health to effectively manage this testing process and to provide the necessary care for all of our students.

This is all of the information available at this time; as we receive further information, it will be shared immediately with the AUC community.

--
Brian MacDougall
VP for Planning and Administration
The American University in Cairo
AUC Avenue, PO Box 74
New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Office Tel: +20-2-2615-2212

[HenryN]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

<TABLE class=lan18 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD class=hei22 height=25 vAlign=bottom>Egypt reports 2 more A/H1N1 flu cases
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff height=4></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD width="48%">www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-08 18:07:13</TD><TD class=hui12 width="26%" align=middle> </TD><TD class=hui12 width="12%" align=middle> Print</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="80%"><TBODY><TR><TD height=20></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=lt14 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD class=lt14>


CAIRO, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Egypt reported two more A/H1N1 flu cases at the American University in Cairo, bringing the number of cases of the novel influenza to three in the country, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Cairo-based regional office said Monday.

"The two confirmed cases were reported this morning by Egyptian Health Ministry," said Dr. Hassan el-Boshra, adviser for communicable disease at WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The two cases, both American students, were spotted on Sunday night at the university's dormitory in Zamalek island, Dr. Hassan said, adding that they have been quarantined and are in "good conditions" till now.
"It is still not clear where and how the students contracted the flu," he said.
On June 2, Egypt reported its first A/H1N1 influenza case, who was a 12-year-old Egyptian-American girl coming from the United States via Holland. Egypt, the most populous Arab country that has been hit hard by the fatal bird flu, decided in late April to cull all the pigs in the country to stem the highly infectious flu. According to the latest update by the WHO on Friday, 21,940 cases of A/H1N1 infection have been confirmed in 69 countries, including 125 deaths.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/08/content_11509059.htm

[Twall]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

140 collage age students can directly interface daily with thousands of other people...I guess this will be the beginning of more reported cases within Egypt.

[Commonground]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

Egypt quarantines dorm after new flu cases

Excerpt:

Two U.S. students at the American University in Cairo have been diagnosed with swine flu, the university said on Monday, with their dormitory under quarantine after a third suspected case was discovered.

"There are two American students who came here on May 28 and the ministry of health has confirmed that they are sick with the A(H1N1) virus," university spokeswoman Rehab Saad told news agency AFP.

The two students are being treated in hospital along with a third suspected infected American, Saad said, adding that their dormitory on the central Cairo island of Zamalek had been placed under quarantine.

"The dorm of around 140 has been quarantined for 24 hours, the ministry of health is taking samples and the results are expected soon," Saad said.

-snip-

http://business.maktoob.com/20090000004941/Egypt_quarantines_dorm_after_new_flu_cases/Article.htm

[HenryN]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

Egypt quarantines dorm after new flu cases


Jun 08, 2009 at 09:44


Two U.S. students at the American University in Cairo have been diagnosed with swine flu, the university said on Monday, with their dormitory under quarantine after a third suspected case was discovered.
"There are two American students who came here on May 28 and the ministry of health has confirmed that they are sick with the A(H1N1) virus," university spokeswoman Rehab Saad told news agency AFP.
The two students are being treated in hospital along with a third suspected infected American, Saad said, adding that their dormitory on the central Cairo island of Zamalek had been placed under quarantine.
"The dorm of around 140 has been quarantined for 24 hours, the ministry of health is taking samples and the results are expected soon," Saad said.
A 12-year-old girl who had travelled from the United States last week became Egypt and Africa's first case of swine flu.
Egypt, the most populous Arab country, began a controversial cull of the country's estimated 250,000 pigs after initial reports of swine flu outbreaks in other countries.
The World Health Organisation has said the drastic measure is not scientifically justified.
Egyptian media have reported that more than 150,000 pigs have been culled so far, with many of them later buried in hazardous waste disposal sites.
The authorities have stepped up measures to check travellers at airports for the virus, quarantining suspected cases in makeshift centres.
Egypt is already battling bird flu, which has killed 27 people since it was first reported in 2006.
In rural areas poultry are traditionally raised on rooftops, often in close proximity to young children, many of whom have become victims of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

http://business.maktoob.com/20090000004941/Egypt_quarantines_dorm_after_new_flu_cases/Article.htm

[Commonground]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

The dorm in the Zamalek area of Cairo houses about 100 students.

Zamalek Residence

....The distance between the Zamalek residence and the new campus is about 45 minute drive to New Cairo. Shuttle buses run between the Zamalek residence and the main campus daily, every hour from 6am to 11pm....

...The residence is an 11-story building that houses both students and faculty....

...The 500-square meter ground floor is home to a computer room, small exercise gym, AUC bookstore, lounge, medical clinic and cafeteria...

...The five floors of the building feature the spacious student accommodations....

http://www.aucegypt.edu/StudentLife/housing/oncampus/Pages/Zamalek%20Residence.aspx

ETA:
...The Zamalek residence is located in one of downtown Cairo’s most popular residential districts - Zamalek. It is an island slightly northwest of central Cairo; an urban up-scale area with a large cosmopolitan population....

[HenryN]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

2 swine flu cases at American University in Cairo
1 hour ago
CAIRO (AP) ? The American University in Cairo says a dorm building housing foreigners is being quarantined for 24 hours after two American students were diagnosed with swine flu.
Rehab Saad from the university's public relations office said Monday the two cases were discovered Sunday night along with a third suspected case. All three have been hospitalized.
The dorm in the Zamalek area of Cairo houses about 100 students.
It was not known where the students contracted the disease.
Egypt announced its first confirmed swine flu case June 2 after an Egyptian-American girl arriving in the country tested positive.
Egypt's government has come under criticism for its decision to slaughter the nation's pigs in response to the swine flu problem.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jc_pijXYi6E50wDepameI2ZTf9iAD98MC9S00

[HenryN]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

Pretty odd. Last I knew it was June 8th.

The is a time gap between arrival, symptoms, testing, and test results.

[Commonground]

Re: Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

"There are two students who have confirmed positive H1N1 test results," university spokeswoman Rehab Saad El-Domiati said, adding that both infected students were American. "As a result, the dormitory has been quarantined for 24 hours."

But the American University students who tested positive for the virus were believed to have arrived in late May on two separate flights from the United States.....

Pretty odd. Last I knew it was June 8th.

[Giuseppe]

Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases (AlertNet, edited)

Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases

08 Jun 2009 08:40:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Cynthia Johnston
CAIRO, June 8 (Reuters)


Egypt has detected the H1N1 flu virus in two foreign students at the American University in Cairo and has put 140 more under quarantine in their Nile island dormitory, health and university officials said on Monday.


Police wearing face masks stood guard at barriers outside the multi-storey dormitory in the upmarket island neighbourhood of Zamalek that houses mainly foreign students from Western and other Arab countries, and no one was allowed in or out.

"There are two students who have confirmed positive H1N1 test results," university spokeswoman Rehab Saad El-Domiati said, adding that both infected students were American. "As a result, the dormitory has been quarantined for 24 hours."

She said a third student had been hospitalised as a precaution with a fever. All the students living in the dormitory were being tested for the virus.

Egypt, already hard hit by the much more deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, had detected its first H1N1 case last week in a 12-year-old American girl who arrived for a holidays in the most populous Arab country. The case was the first in Africa.

The airborne H1N1 virus has now been diagnosed in more than 21,000 people worldwide, and has killed at least 125, mostly in Mexico, according to the World Health Organisation.

Egypt, whose poultry industry was decimated by the arrival of bird flu in early 2006, fears another flu virus could spread quickly in a country where most of the roughly 76 million people live in the densely packed Nile Valley, many in crowded slums.

Egypt had stepped up surveillance measures at the airport to try to prevent the arrival of the disease, including by installing thermal monitors that helped detect and swiftly isolate the country's first H1N1 case.

But the American University students who tested positive for the virus were believed to have arrived in late May on two separate flights from the United States, casting doubt on whether Egypt's airport measures could detect all cases.

"I am not really sure whether there are other cases we have missed or not because these cases were detected... a couple days after they entered the country," said Hassan al-Bushra, regional adviser for communicable disease surveillance at WHO.

Egypt has reported 29 human cases of bird flu this year including a boy who tested positive on Sunday -- nearly four times the number reported in 2008.

(Additional reporting by Ashraf Fahim in Cairo; Writing by Cynthia Johnston)
-

<cite cite="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L8411491.htm">Reuters AlertNet - Egypt university dorm quarantined over H1N1 cases</cite>