CAIRO: Two new cases of the H1N1 virus were discovered in Cairo and Alexandria, bringing the number of infections in Egypt to 10, the Ministry of Health said Wednesday.
According to ministry spokesperson Abdel-Rahman Shahin, the first case is an American engineer who works in a petroleum company in Cairo. He has been suffering from flu-like symptoms since he came from the US on June 7.
He is currently undergoing treatment in Al-Sadr hospital in Abbasiya, Cairo.
The second case is an Egyptian citizen who arrived in Cairo from the US on June 4. He started experiencing flu-like symptoms on June 8 and is currently receiving treatment in Alexandria’s Homayat Hospital.
Both patients are in stable conditions.
Seven cases were reported this week among American students at the American University in Cairo (AUC), all residents in the university’s Zamalek dorm, who tested positive for the virus, also known as swine flu.
The seven AUC students’ are enrolled in the Seton Hall University’s summer law exchange program.
Shahin said that they are all recovering.
The remaining 227 people in the dorm – 103 students and 124 faculty and staff members – tested negative for the virus.
The Zamalek dorm will remain under quarantine until Sunday.
Brian MacDougall, AUC’s vice president of planning and administration and chairman of AUC’s emergency management team, said in a statement that AUC’s School of Continuing Education at the university’s downtown campus, where the Seton Hall program was set to take place, postponed its summer semester.
The semester was scheduled to start on June 15 and end July 1.
Amr Kandil, deputy minister of heath for medical precautionary measures, said that the ministry conducted random tests on 158 people at AUC’s New Cairo campus Monday, and they all came back negative.
AUC suspended classes and postponed all events scheduled this week.
“Access to AUC campuses will be limited to the students who live on the New Cairo campus, access to the AUC campuses will not be available for other AUC students. Access for staff is to be limited to those who have been designated as essential by their managers, MacDougall said.
MacDougall said that the New Cairo campus’ medical clinic is open 24 hours and the clinic at the downtown campus is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
The university also announced that prior approval from AUC administration is required for all AUC-sponsored trips.
“At the present time, AUC is not sponsoring any travel to several neighboring countries, for example: Lebanon, Sudan, Israel, Iraq or Palestine, the statement read.
Egypt was free from swine flu until June 1.
A 12-year-old Egyptian American was the first case in the country. She was diagnosed at the airport on June 2 via thermal screening.
