CAIRO: Egypt has introduced new measures to tackle cholera despite having not recorded any recent cases, amid growing reports of outbreaks in neighboring countries, including Sudan.
The guidelines for diagnosing and treating the disease were announced by the Ministry of Health and Population.
“We have implemented health surveillance measures, particularly for passengers, transport and goods arriving from countries affected by cholera,” ministry official Dr. Gamal Hussein told Arab News.
“The first step is screening passengers and crew on all regular, charter and cargo flights coming from cholera-affected countries, directly or indirectly.
“Suspected cases will be referred to a designated hospital for evaluation and the preventive medicine department, general administration of quarantine and the relevant health affairs directorate will be notified immediately,” he said.
“We will implement the highest level of infection control measures when handling suspected cases.”
Any food and beverages entering the country would be destroyed unless stored in sealed, tamper-proof containers and not suspected of contamination, Hussein said.
“If a suspected case is found, the means of transport will be disinfected and any waste from the transport will be treated as hazardous and disposed of safely under quarantine supervision.”
Egypt was also ready to care for anyone who might arrive in the country already infected with the disease, he said.
“Patients infected with cholera will be admitted to fever hospitals, where contact isolation precautions will be enforced and they will be placed in a single room with a dedicated bathroom.
“The situation in Egypt is safe at present but we are fully prepared to respond to any emergency.”
Health Ministry spokesperson Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said: “Cholera is a severe bacterial infection. It can lead to rapid dehydration and loss of salts from the body within hours if not treated promptly.
“Most people infected with cholera show no symptoms or have only mild symptoms and they can be effectively treated with oral rehydration solutions.
“In the 19th century, cholera spread globally from its original reservoir in the Ganges Delta in India, leading to six worldwide pandemics that caused millions of deaths,” he told Arab News
According to a statement from the Health Ministry, there are between 1.3 million and 4 million cholera cases reported each year around the world, with 21,000 to 43,000 deaths.
The rapid spread of outbreaks is primarily attributed to its short incubation period of between two and five days, it said.
In the first seven months of this year, 307,233 cases and 2,326 deaths were reported to the World Health Organization, the ministry said.
