Pupils at Notre Dame School in Cairo. Egyptian authorities urge all schools to be aware of RSV dangers. EPA
Pupils at Notre Dame School in Cairo. Egyptian authorities urge all schools to be aware of RSV dangers. EPA
Pupils at Notre Dame School in Cairo. Egyptian authorities urge all schools to be aware of RSV dangers. EPA
Pupils at Notre Dame School in Cairo. Egyptian authorities urge all schools to be aware of RSV dangers. EPA

Egypt's flu-like infections made worse by Covid-19 pandemic, health minister says


Kamal Tabikha
  • English
  • Arabic

Egypt’s health minister has said that a rising number of flu-like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections is overwhelming the country’s schools, but has reassured the public the illness does not pose a threat to healthy adults and children.

With the coronavirus pandemic at a low ebb in Egypt, other respiratory viruses are surging, he said.

Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar was joined by of medical professionals, many of them paediatricians, at a press conference in a Cairo hospital on Monday to address growing public fears about RSV.

Mr Abdel Ghaffar urged parents not to panic as the virus is not new and there are cases recorded every flu season.

“This virus first emerged in 1956, so there are protocols in place, both in Egypt and internationally, to treat it. We urge people not to panic,” the minister said at Monday’s news conference.

Last week, Egypt’s education ministry said it launched preventive measures at schools which included a mask mandate and isolation of students who show flu-like symptoms.

Mr Abdel Ghaffar said on Monday that although cases of RSV are recorded each year, particularly during the autumn and winter months, there is a sharp increase this year, which he said was as an after-effect of the coronavirus pandemic which, he said, made people more susceptible to respiratory illnesses.

A survey by the health ministry this month on a test group of pupils who displayed flu-like symptoms found that 73 per cent of them had RSV, with the remainder suffering from other respiratory illnesses including the coronavirus.

The minister said there is no need to worry as the virus is only serious when it ails children under two years of age and people above the age of 65.

However, patients of any age should seek medical attention if they suffer from chronic conditions or have compromised immunity, he added.

“There are no medications to cure the virus as of yet and no vaccine either,” Mr Abdel Ghaffar said. “No one has funded research to find a cure for the virus since it was discovered because it is very mild.”

Parents of pupils at state schools nationwide had taken to social media en masse over the past couple of weeks to call for more action on the government’s part to address the illness.

One parent, who runs a Facebook group for lower income mothers, told The National that what perturbed her most was the duration of her child’s bout with RSV.

She said he would recover for a day or two and then succumb to a high fever and coughing fits again.

Mr Abdel Ghaffar advised parents on Monday to keep their children home from school if they display flu symptoms.

The education ministry said last week that it would reschedule examinations for students who missed them because of illness.

On Tuesday, the Hamza bin Abdul Moteleb girls’ school in the Greater Cairo district of Giza issued a notice to its students that they should stay at home if they are sick and will only be allowed to return when they show a doctor’s note that they are not contagious.

A parent of one of the students told The National that out of the 360 students in her daughter’s year, 50 had attended classes in the past week.

A preparatory school in Giza has, since last week, introduced a social distancing measure by having Years 1 to 3 attend classes for three days of the week and Years 3 to 6 come in on a separate three days.

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MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Match on BeIN Sports

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Getting there

The flights

Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.

The stay

Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net 

Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama

Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

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Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
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Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

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Quercus

Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren

Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies

Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan

Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India 

 

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Updated: November 22, 2022, 1:54 PM