CAIRO: The nature of a virus that has killed three people in Upper Egypt remains unknown, the Health Ministry announced Wednesday.
“There is still no clear scientific reason or definition of the fatal disease or the mysterious virus that causes it. Its symptoms are similar to the fever but when the patients were given antibiotics, it did not work out,” health ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed was quoted by Youm7 Wednesday.
An elderly woman in the village of Dashlout, 310 kilometers south of Cairo, died Wednesday raising the death toll caused by the unknown disease to three.
Megahed said the tap water in the villages of victims is “100 percent sound and safe to drink” ruling out it caused the deaths.
“In order to prevent a potential outspread of the virus, 62 cases suffering from the same symptoms in Dashlout and two other neighboring villages were detected and they are currently hospitalized,” Megahed said.
Blood test were carried out to the 60 patients are we wait for the results, he added.