The Egyptian
Ministry of Health and Population raised the level of preparedness at air, sea
and land entry points to activate and tighten health control procedures for
passengers, means of transportation, and goods coming from Israel during the
current time to combat West Nile fever after its spread in Israel.
The Ministry's Quarantine
Department called for taking a set of preventive health measures at the ports
of entry, most notably preventive measures towards passengers by conducting
health screening for all those arriving on essential or special flights coming
from Israel, directly or indirectly.
According to the Ministry of Health's guide to
deal with West Nile fever, the West Nile virus is responsible for what is known
as West Nile fever, which reaches humans through the bites of mosquitoes
carrying the virus, and is generally spread in Africa, Europe, the Middle East,
North America, and Western Asia.
It can cause West
Nile virus causing a neurological disease in humans, but about 80% of those
infected do not show any symptoms. Birds are the main carrier of West Nile
virus, from which it is transmitted to mosquitoes, where it takes several days
to reach the mosquito’s salivary glands, which in turn transmit it to humans
when it bites them.
According to CDC,
West Nile virus is most commonly spread through the bite of an infected
mosquito. Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or
rash.
The guide confirmed
that there are vaccines available for use in horses, but there are no vaccines
available to humans. The virus gained its name from West Nile when it was first
discovered in the western region of the Nile, specifically in Uganda in 1937.
The symptoms of West
Nile virus are: fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and swollen lymph nodes, in
addition to sometimes a skin rash.
The incubation
period for the disease is usually 3 to 14 days, while the infection is not
transmitted directly from one person to another, but mosquitoes are likely to
transmit the virus throughout their lives.
The Ministry of Health guide confirmed that
there is no specific treatment against the disease, and the basic approach in
treating human cases of infection is to provide supportive care to patients and
treat the symptoms.
Source: Egypt Today