EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

None of the articles that I have read have referred to any type of lung problems or the illness leading to pneumonia. Has anyone else seen anything of this nature? If this were a type of flu, especially bird flu, would the lungs be affected?

You're right -- none of the reports have mentioned any sort of respiratory problems.

The reason I'm keeping an eye on it is that a handful of bf cases in Indonesia and Vietnam have not had respiratory symptoms. The most recent cases in Indonesia -- the little girl named Vivi -- did not have any respiratory problems as far as I understand. Also, there were apparently 3 patients in Vietnam who did not have respiratory symptoms, but only stomach/intestinal issues (does anybody know which three patients these were, btw?):

In three cases (Viet Nam, Thailand) stomach and intestine were by the H5N1-Virus stricken, not however the bronchi and the lung. The virus must have been thus orally taken up, e.g. when drinking contaminated water.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=89951&postcount=1

Whatever this outbreak is in Sohag does not have to be bf at all -- but it's important to keep an eye on it I think. One positive thing (although it's not very positive for the poor folks being affected by this!) is that, at least according to reports, only the one village has been affected -- it seems to be very localized.

Time will tell, I guess.

 

[HenryN]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

None of the articles that I have read have referred to any type of lung problems or the illness leading to pneumonia. Has anyone else seen anything of this nature? If this were a type of flu, especially bird flu, would the lungs be affected?

Bird flu patients aren't discharged within 24 h.

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Bird flu patients aren't discharged within 24 h.

Maybe not. But there's been plenty of cases of botched treatment for bf patients in Egypt (as well as Indonesia). Mayyada, for example, was apparently in a local Qina hospital for 3 days before anyone recognized that she had (or might have had) bf. Also, there was Marina in Cairo who went to four doctors before finally being admitted to a hospital. (Both of them sadly died.) Misdiagnosis does happen.

 

[HenryN]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Maybe not. But there's been plenty of cases of botched treatment for bf patients in Egypt (as well as Indonesia). Mayyada, for example, was apparently in a local Qina hospital for 3 days before anyone recognized that she had (or might have had) bf. Also, there was Marina in Cairo who went to four doctors before finally being admitted to a hospital. (Both of them sadly died.) Misdiagnosis does happen.

I suspect that those in Sohag are aware of bird flu and the large number of patients who have symptoms. Patients discharged in 24 hours, with that backdrop, likely have recovered. Relatively few patients were hospitalized, and several were quickly discharged.

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Relatively few patients were hospitalized, and several were quickly discharged.

Many have been quickly discharged, but one report has 31 people currently hospitalized.

I just presume/hope they do some sort of flu test on these people -- unfortunately, none of the news reports have said so either way.

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Lab tests reportedly show calcium chloride (which is used, among other things, as a pesticide) in drinking water in Alermalat village, Sohag...

Google-translated from Arabic:

Laboratory tests solved the mystery of the mysterious poisoning electoral district
Contaminated drinking water causes injuries .. Immediate clearance of reservoirs
July 9, 2007

According to the results of laboratory tests of the Ministry of Health that the contamination of drinking water behind the mysterious poisonings gathering Alermalat village exactness electoral district. And this contamination as a result of unsafe storage of water and near sources of Trnchat drainage Ballnga. Dr. Rahman Shahin spokesman of the ministry that was money the village water tank using calcium chloride Hieu, indicating that the total infected cases of vomiting, diarrhea, which entered the pathogenesis of Sohag 12 cases between the ages of a year and a half and 60 years exited 8 Saturday and 4 yesterday. He said that the epidemiological investigation confirmed reports of more than 75 cases to the health unit for the village since June 30 last until last Friday.

http://www.algomhuria.net.eg/algomhuria/today/fpage/detail06.asp

I don't see high fever (or low-grade fever, for that matter) as one of the symptoms of calcium chloride poisoning:
http://pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Poisoning.jsp?Rec_Id=PC35208#Symptoms

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Five new cases with similar/same symptoms in two villages/hamlets neighboring the original village affected.

The dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Sohag University accuses the authorities of neglect in handling this outbreak as well as being too secretive about the whole thing.

This article reports that the Ministry of Health said yesterday that the outbreak was due to microbes in the drinking water, not calcium chloride as a previous report stated.

Hat-tip to pugmom for finding this article!

Machine-translated from Arabic:

The extension of the obscure disease to Suhaj villages
Five case poisons a new in Beni visited and Naga Tammam hamlet
July 9, 2007

Suhaj - Hisham Al Maraghi:

The fear devastated yesterday the villages of Suhaj district after the appearance of 5 new poisoning conditions. The conditions appeared in the villages of a completeness hamlet ["Nag Tammam"] and a son visited ["Beni visited"] the neighboring Al Remilat hamlet the initial injury source. Doctor Omar Youssef Ali, the health unit president, recognized Al Remilat hamlet with the reception of big number of the cases. And he confirmed that the hesitant on the unity preceded them the injury by the obscure disease and repeat the visit to the completion of treatment.

Doctor Omar returned [attributed] the injuries to the summer diseases and took some of the fruits and pointed out that the injuries are individual and does not represent a phenomenon. And he confirmed that the appearance of 5 cases between 5 thousand persons does not mean the presence of a great problem.

And the health unit president was banished the presence of a relation between the conditions of vomiting and diarrhea and the presence of cemeteries amid the demographic region. And Doctor Lotfi Hamed Aboualdhb, the professor of the inner diseases and Suhaj Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, accused the health sector with the neglect against the crisis.

And he confirmed that the officials in the strip refused seeking help from the Faculty of Medicine professors or the transfer of conditions to the University Hospital for their debate and the knowledge of the injury reasons. And Abu Al Dahab confirmed that the officials dealt with the problem as [like] being military secrets.

The Faculty of Medicine Dean returned [attributed] the injury reason to several factors from it the environment suitable for the pollution and the storage of waters in the place of not safe and close to the toilets and the livestocks barns, in addition to taking vegetables and fruit after their exposure to the spraying by the insecticides and without a good washing.

And Abu Al Dahab confirmed the presence of a relation for the presence of cemeteries amid the residential block and the appearance of injuries. And he demanded holding a study for the disclosure of the reasons of the appearance of the obscure injuries and their source.

The medical committee formed of the infectious diseases fighting administration and the health of environment in the ministry has continued its works and have drawn new samples from the drinking waters preparation for their analysis.

The Ministry of Health and Population declared yesterday results the conditions samples of vomiting and the diarrhea in Al Remilat hamlet in the village of the hamlet of the completeness of Suhaj district. Doctor Abdul Rahman Shahin in a press conference stated that the results of analysis and samples revealed the occurrence of injuries due to the pollution of drinking waters in the houses because of the storage not safe to the waters and to near the drinking waters source from the sewerage Trnshat in the houses and that is do not being drained continuously which led to moving the microbe of the colonic group to the waters that the injured took.

http://www.alwafd.org/v2/News/NewsD...st&PHPSESSID=4748c73d1aac980b5c978a542f490b3d

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Nag Alermellat is very small and is not in any gazetteers. Here is a map of Nag' Tamman and Beni Zar, which are apparently near Nag Alermellat.

Map of the two new locations.

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Thanks, Al! (Cool map.)

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

Google-translated from Arabic:

Injuries continued ambiguity residents Sohag diarrhea
Conflicting reports of the central health laboratory and the results confirm the innocence (Alaziar)
July 14, 2007

Sohag Hisham EL MARAGHY: Witnessed cause injury citizen Sohag diarrhea and high temperatures farce. There are conflicting reports about central labs Mysterious Disease. A report by the Ministry of Health issued by the ministry's central laboratories No. 321 in Sri 7-9 being taken on two samples of water Samala Hammadi and Beni Mazar, 9 samples from the homes of patients, the result is negative.

The reports disclosed that the result of sample water taken from the home of a citizen who suffered Samala Alermellat by chemotherapy Tharwat Ibrahim came matching bacteriological and the slight increase of manganese and sample came from the house of another patient as sound and "Alaziar" is not responsible for the disease.

It also sent Dr. Q. Mr. Atta and head of the Central Administration of the ministry labs in a fax July 9 No. 320 stated that the result of samples "Serm" taken from 5 citizens designated fax came negative free of poisons and bacteria.

It also came as a result of groundwater samples to confirm it sound more ambiguous disease and fail the Ministry of Health revealed in the mystery has kept the security organs electoral district result analysis of water so as not to discover people lied officials who declared war on "Alaziar" occurs have evil consequences.

http://www.alwafd.org/v2/News/NewsD...st&PHPSESSID=41f20842851a7d1ca0c8a2fda2d85afa

 

[Theresa42]

Re: EGYPT - 400(?) people in Sohag struck by high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue

A mention of the "incident" in Sohag in this article on the water crisis in Egypt...

Google-translated from Arabic:

Security threatens to arrest protesters against thirst and Parliament requesting compensation materially
July 17, 2007

Cairo - Demonstrators against refusal thirst in the villages of Dakahlia succumbing what they felt security threats to force them to break the demonstration, which began last Thursday, and said that the security forces have summoned some late Sunday evening and had given them the option between Disengagement demonstration and arrests.

The demonstrators renewed their affirmation that they would not back off before getting their clean drinking water.

Dr. ElBaradei Fathi, Damietta Governor, that his governorate least affected by the water problem, and said that there is only 3000 citizen slum area Serzarh suffer water shortages are currently delivering to them by the water line Countryside Farckor.

On the other hand, surprised a number of MPs independent government is preparing to submit a new bill establishes the principle of material compensation to citizens in the regions where they are located crises due to the interruption of water or injuries sustained satisfactory to the citizens due to contamination of drinking water and sanitation commingling.

MPs stressed that the water crisis and isolation from many regions, as happened in the Burullus and other disaster threatens the health and environmental citizens who have suffered deprivation of drinking water or water pollution, sanitation and may result in cases of viral infection or liver or kidney failure, as happened in the Sohag injuries satisfactory vague defied doctors from disclosing the causes, diagnosis, according to the newspaper evening [Al Messa].

For its part, the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development a series of actions to resolve the crises of drinking water and sanitation exacerbated recently.

The Engineer Ahmed Moroccan decision to send cars and mobile stations for the water to reach disadvantaged areas, and this comes against the backdrop of overwhelming popular protests in Egypt recently, due to shortage of drinking water.

Dr Ali Sharif, adviser to the minister of housing for engineering projects: The holding company for drinking water sent 4 Ventas cars and mobile stations to some villages Dakahlia, Kafr Al-Sheikh, pointing out said that the ministry had a strategic blueprint for all 22 governorates in Egypt with an international consulting firm.

He added sent to the provinces to identify urgent projects needed to be included in the budget of 17 billion pounds, which were monitored to resolve water crises during the next four years, according to the Egyptian Gazette today.

In a related context, the Ministry of Housing agreements with a number of European financial institutions, to contribute to the project to improve drinking water and sanitation in the provinces of East and West and the lake and Damietta.

He said Mohamed Al Alfi assistant minister for international cooperation: It has been agreed with the German Reconstruction Bank and the European Investment and the French Development Agency, to participate in the project at a cost of approximately 300 million euros, European bodies which contributed 140 million.

He added Alfi: that 60% of the budget allocated for the replacement and renovation projects and reduce wastage of water.

The assistant minister denied reports that the ministry dealing with American bodies for the implementation of projects in water and sanitation in Egypt, stressing that the deal is limited to two consultants affiliated to the USAID.

http://www.masrawy.com/News/2007/Egypt/Politics/July/17/water.aspx