According to TravelCare International, since November, at least 100 travelers who returned to Europe after visiting Egypt have been diagnosed with Hepatitis A.  Patients are as young as 4 years old, to over 75 years old.

 

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver, transmitted through contaminated food and water.  It can also spread from person to person.  Symptoms include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, dark urine and jaundice. 

 

Anyone traveling to Egypt should:

According to TravelCare International, wild poliovirus has been detected in sewer samples in two locations in central Cairo - Nasr City and Al Salam district.  This is the first time this virus has been detected in Egypt since 2010.  It was likely brought into Egypt by an infected traveler from Pakistan.  Polio can potentially spread "silently" to hundreds of people.  Because of this, an outbreak could be underway before a case with the typical symptoms of paralysis is detected.

 

An active search for cases with symptoms of polio is underway along with increased environmental sampling.  A mass campaign is planned in Cairo to vaccinate against polio. 

 

The last human case of polio in Egypt was reported in May 2004 in Asyut. 

According to TravelCare International, a two-year-old girl in Damietta governorate was infected with the bird flu (H5N1) after contact with backyard poultry.  In early December she developed symptoms and was hospitalized.  She has been treated with Tamiflu.  No further information is available about her condition.

 

This is the 11th human case of avian flu reported by Egypt since the beginning of the year.  Bird flu is consistently present in Egypt.