Kingdom Confirms First Swine Flu Case
Added On : 4th June 2009
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced yesterday its first case of swine flu after a Filipino nurse living in the Kingdom tested positive for the disease.
Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the nurse didnt show any symptoms of the H1N1 virus when she arrived in Riyadh last Friday from the Philippines. She developed symptoms three days later and was tested as part of a routine check at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, where she works. A second test confirmed the virus yesterday morning.
The minister said the nurse had been quarantined and was getting medical attention. He said the authorities were investigating all those who had been in contact with the woman during the past three days. Al-Rabeeah said the detection of the case came within the ambit of efforts being made by the Health Ministry to monitor developments concerning the virus. According to sources at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, the nurse lives in the Kingdom with her husband and three children. Her family members will be under observation for the next 72 hours, the sources added.
The Ministry of Health has set up hot lines for reporting H1N1 cases: 01-4875511, extensions 333, 391 and 392. The lines are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on working days.
A Health Department source at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah said health authorities were monitoring passengers for possible swine flu. Any passenger showing high temperature on the thermal camera is subjected to thorough medical checkup. Special attention is paid to passengers coming from Mexico, the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Australia, the source said.
Among the first such cases in the region, 18 US soldiers were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus in Kuwait on May 24. Last week, Lebanon and the UAE also confirmed cases of swine flu and, on Tuesday, Egypt announced its first case in a 12-year-old American girl of Egyptian origin.
