CAIRO: Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud tasked a special committee with investigating the rise in the number of typhoid cases in a Qaliubiya village. Over 100 typhoid cases have appeared in Al-Bardah village in the past month. Previous investigations have shown that the infections resulted from drinking contaminated water, Qaliubiya Governor Ali Hussein said. Residents accuse the contractor who built the water pipes, Anwar Nabawy, of pumping sewage water through the governorate's drinking water pipes in order to make profit. However, he refuted those accusations. In a press statement, Mahmoud said the committee, comprised of a forensic doctor and two engineers from the National Authority for Water and Sewage, will investigate the situation at Al-Bardah village and test water samples. The committee will then submit a report to Mahmoud. Mahmoud said the committee will also examine the village's sewage network to ensure that it complies with international standards. He also ordered the governorate to provide an alternative method to deliver clean water to residents, after it cut off the water supply from the two villages where the disease appeared. In its Thursday issue, Al-Shorouk newspaper reported that there is also a typhoid outbreak in Daqahleya and Suez. According to the newspaper, an anonymous source at the Daqahleya health administration said that some 21 cases appeared in the governorate. Al-Shorouk also reported that Azmi Besharah, general manager of a hospital in Suez, said that a case was reported in the governorate. However, Nasr Al-Sayed, deputy health minister for precautionary measures, said that while nearby governorates are still at risk, the disease is has so far been limited to Qaliubiya. Al-Sayed previously denied reports claiming that typhoid appeared in Gharbeya and Beni Suef.
