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Arab World raises swine flu (H1N1) precaution

Global Arab Network - - Mohamed Tamer

Sunday, 03 January 2010 22:05

Middle_East__Swine_flu_deaths_registered_Saudi_syria_uae_egypt

Around 60,000 people were vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu virus in Saudi Arabia since the campaign first started, with no side effects reported so far, the Saudi Health Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry urged parents to immediately immunize their children against swine flu to curb the disease from spreading in schools.

The ministry also called on citizens and the expatriates of all ages to get the vaccine through the state's medical centers.

The vaccine is safe, has no side effects, and is accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the ministry added.

The swine flu death toll in Saudi Arabia stands at 124, most of whom are children, youth, and pregnant women.

The cases confirmed through laboratory tests have reached 15,500 and the clinically diagnosed cases are around 74,752.

On the other hand, French Health Ministry announced that Qatar bought 300,000 vaccines against H1N1 virus.

France is selling the redundant vaccines of its own stock.

Health Ministry added in a statement that Egypt is discussing to buy two million vaccines, as well as other quantities for Mexico and Ukraine.

The Ministry is willing to sell half of France's original stock of 94 million individual vaccinations which is more than the population, at the cost of 869 million euros.

The statement added that since it launched the vaccination campaign against the disease last October, five million people have been vaccinated in France, adding that Germany and the Netherlands will also sell the excess of vaccines for the H1N1 disease.

France has taken several measures to resist the H1N1 virus which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), caused the deaths of more than 7,000 people in the world, where it also caused the closure of about 240 schools in the country.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced four more deaths from the swine flu Influenza, H1N1, which pushed the number of fatalities in the country to 145 cases since the outbreak of the disease in Egypt in June of last year.

A four-year-old female toddler died in Al-Minya governorate, while a man, 36, died in the governorate of Qina. Another man, 32, died in Al-Daqhiliya, and a woman, 36, died in Qina governorate as well, according to a statement by the ministry.

The ministry is scheduled to start giving out swine flu vaccines to students after a 30 percent increase in the number of affected students in schools.

Five swine flu fatalities were reported, bringing the total to 141.

The Health Ministry revealed that the five victims included two women and three men.

The H1N1 swine flu-causing virus was first reported in Egypt in June 2009.

In Algeria, Five H1N1 fatalities were reported in Algeria Friday with the number of deaths reaching 47 cases while infections were at 746 cases.

The Algerian Health Ministry said in a statement that four deaths were reported in Blida province south of Algiers while one was registered in Khenchela province east of the capital.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry revealed that the anti-swine flu vaccine campaign had began Wednesday, adding that the campaign would mainly target those highly vulnerable to the disease.

In Iran, No new swine flu cases have been reported lately, said Director of the Swine Flu Combat Committee Dr. Mahmoud Suroush.

In a press release, he said that no new cases of swine flu had been reported lately in the country, thanks to the efforts of the Health Ministry and the people's keenness to follow precautionary measures.

He also said that out of the 3,672 people who had been diagnosed and treated, there were only 140 deaths.

The official also said that his country had imported the swine flu vaccine and that it would be administered to those most vulnerable to the virus, namely children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

The world is expected to witness a third wave of the swine flu which will strike hard due to the drop in temperature during the winter, therefore the number of swine flu cases are due to increase worldwide.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said it was too early to say that the H1N1 pandemic was under control despite the low infection rates in some countries.

The mutation of the virus was a matter hard to predict but WHO would have its eyes opened if such development accord, said Chan.

Global Arab Network

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