Red Sea health authorities have located a German tourist believed to be infected with the deadly E. coli bacteria after he went missing from his hospital on Tuesday.
An recent E. coli breakout in Germany has led to 25 deaths and more than 2,600 people becoming sick, though health officials there say the worst is over, the AFP reported Wednesday.
Osama Abdel Azim, deputy of the Red Sea Health Department, said the patient was transferred to a private hospital in Hurghada upon the request of his insurance company. The result of his blood test has not yet been announced, Azim added.
According to preliminary investigations, at 7 pm on Tuesday the head nurse at the hospital where he was being treated in Hurghada discovered that he and his girlfriend were not in their room and notified the administration.
The investigations revealed that the tourist was allowed out of the quarantine where he was isolated for six hours after a blood sample was taken for examination.
The German tourist met with a young doctor who persuaded him to complete his treatment at a private hospital near the airport in order to have the treatment paid for by his insurance company investigations showed.
The hospital’s administration filed a report of the incident with the tourism police in Hurghada, saying the tourist left without the knowledge of the hospital or its security. Security guards said the man left in the company of the young doctor.
Meanwhile, Red Sea Governor Magdi Qobayessy launched investigations into the incident and the patient was eventually located at another private hospital.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
