Re: ALGERIA - "152 police officers injured in a mysterious virus"
Ah -- here's what they mean by "food poisoning" I guess -- that the virus (or whatever) could've been spread via the lunch that they all shared.
babelfished from French:
THEY WOULD BE VICTIMS Of a FOOD POISONING
More than 200 police officers and hospitalized customs officers with B?ja?a
September 12, 2007
Photo caption: The medical services of the wilaya carry out analyses to determine the exact origin of this contamination.
More than 200 police officers and customs officers were always hospitalized yesterday in various hospital structures of B?ja?a. The services of the medical prevention of the wilaya of B?ja?a are in general alarm. Since yesterday, the parents of police officers and customs officers contaminated never undergo preventive treatments while the services of the two hospitals of Amizour and B?ja?a were affairent to make taking away for analysis in order to determine the nature and the origin of this contamination on a large scale, known B?ja?a.
Alarm is at present general on the level of the barracks of police force in B?ja?a just like in the hospital structures. Police officers and customs officers of the port of B?ja?a started to be evacuated in urgency, at the end of the day, day before yesterday worms of the hospitals of the wilaya. The new cases appeared yesterday to be the subject of the same evacuation but this time starting from their residence, adds our source. What lets think that citizens could be contaminated. What explains this preventive measure which consists of the insulation of the cases announced for a true tracking and also of prevention. The hospital sources speak about a minimum of three followed taking away of analyses to be able to fix itself on the nature of the epidemic. The other preventive measure consists in the assumption of responsibility of nearest relatives of the police officers and hospitalized customs officers.
A priori, the patients present signs of redness at the level of the throat with sometimes of the cases of smothering. One suspects of the cases of diphteria.
Alarm was given to the level of the Algerian Police force borders day before yesterday. Around fifty of police officers and customs officers presented signs of faintness before they are not evacuated towards the hospital Frantz-Pennon of B?ja?a and that of Amizour. Since yesterday, even the hospital of Aokas was requisitioned.
According to a medical source, there are no very serious cases for the moment, the hospitalization of the people reached is only one preventive measure. It is a question of making a rigorous medical observation preceded by an insulation to prevent any possible propagation in waiting to know some more after the taking away and the analyses carried out on this disease which affects the respiratory tracts, but whose nature remains for the moment unspecified. This is why taking away were operated on the level of the throat. These taking away were transmitted to the Pasteur Institute. But yesterday, none the patients was authorized to leave the hospital, by way of precaution, one indicated.
At the hour when we put under press, the number of recorded cases is stabilized. No civil victim was announced. The infectious hearth at
the origin of this epidemic - if epidemic it has there and its nature for the moment localised and are not identified. Research is directed on the level of the PAF of B?ja?a.
Several versions circulate there in the absence of official information and communication on behalf of the authorities concerned. One speaks thus about a traveller contaminated who would have, during his passage to the Customs, contaminated in his turn the police officers and of the customs officers. The latter transmitted thereafter the virus to their comrades in the barracks. Another version speaks about the contamination of the meals been used for the lunch in the course of the day of Sunday. These meals were prepared in the restaurant of the barracks of the URS with Oued Ghir. Contaminated police officers transmitted the disease to the customs officers by simple contact or respiratory tract.
The hospitalization of many police officers was confirmed yesterday by the services of police force specifying that the cases are circumscribed with the only police officers of the PAF and the customs officers.
http://www.lexpressiondz.com/article/2/2007-09-12/45705.html
Sounds to me like these officers are living in barracks, which could account for why, whatever this is, it spread so quickly throughout the force.
