Four New Cases of Swine Flu Take Total Toll to 39
Added On : 23rd June 2009
RIYADH: Four new cases of swine flu were identified yesterday bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to 39, the Ministry of Health said.
A Saudi man, 25, and a Saudi woman, 24, reportedly contracted the virus from a patient they were visiting regularly. The other two cases are a Saudi woman of unreported age and her two-month-old infant who returned to Riyadh from Bangkok aboard an Etihad Airways flight on June 16.
There have been no reported fatalities and most patients have recuperated. The first reported case of swine flu in the Kingdom was a Filipino nurse who returned to Riyadh late last month after vacationing in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is urging anyone who was aboard Etihad Airways Flight 317 to Riyadh on June 16 and showing flu-like symptoms to contact the ministry to be checked up and treated (if necessary) at no cost. The numbers are: Riyadh 01-487-5511 (extensions 333, 391 and 392); Dammam 03-827-3526 or 03-828-4752 (extension 102); and Jeddah 02-664-0288 or 02-664-0256. Phone calls will be answered from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Expatriates and locals who have visited swine flu patients in hospitals should contact the numbers since the visitors and their children are vulnerable to the disease, said Khaled Al-Mirghalani, the ministrys spokesman. He warned that the flu, which is usually mild, would become serious if it was not treated at an early stage.
He said 17 of the 35 previous cases have left various hospitals and others would be released by end of the week.
Bahrainis recover
Health officials in Bahrain have declared the island free of H1N1 virus after the last confirmed swine flu patient was released from Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Health Center where they were kept in isolation for a week.
Adel Ali Abdullah, the Health Ministry spokesperson, warned against ostracizing a group of 13 students who tested positive for the virus when they returned from the US after completing a 10-month education exchange program.
People are concerned about themselves and their families because of this virus and may try to avoid these students, said Abdullah. This is unacceptable because after receiving treatment these patients are declared to be free from the virus.
Bahrain has so far registered 15 swine flu cases. The ministry has warned that new cases of swine flu infections may be detected as more students return home from high-risk countries for their summer holidays.
The ministry is also urging travelers who return from high-risk countries or who have come in close contact with persons coming from flu-affected areas to report to their nearest health center. Multilanguage swine flu brochures have been distributed at labor camps across the island.
