Global Arab Network | First death from swine flu in Saudi Arabia

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First death from swine flu in Saudi Arabia

Global Arab Network - - Hannan Taha

Monday, 27 July 2009 23:51

A Saudi man has died after being struck down by swine flu, the first death from the disease in the kingdom, the health ministry said.
The 30-year-old man was admitted to a private hospital in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday with a fever and pneumonia. He died on Saturday from A(H1N1) despite the application of antibiotics and the anti-flu drug Tamiflu, the ministry said.

The number of cases in Saudi Arabia now tops 300, adding to worries over the expected influx of some two million foreigners undertaking the hajj pilgrimage to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina later this year.

At an emergency meeting in Cairo last week, Arab health ministers recommended that children under 12 and people over 65 be banned from the hajj this year to reduce the risk.

Saudi health ministry spokesman Khaled Marghlani said on Saturday that Riyadh was likely to adopt this measure, and that it would press for pilgrims to be vaccinated against A(H1N1) if a vaccine is proven and available ahead of the hajj period, beginning in November.

He added that the age restrictions would not affect the country quotas set for the number of people going on the hajj.

“This will not touch on the quotas, the percentage of pilgrims” allocated to each country, he told AFP.

“When we implement the new law, it will stay as it is.” (AFP, Khalijtimes)

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