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Source: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=22420
16th swine flu fatality recorded
According to the Health Ministry?s weekly report, 11,500 people categorised as high-risk have been inoculated since a vaccination campaign was launched last month (Photo by Nader Daoud)
By Khetam Malkawi
AMMAN - The Kingdom recorded its 16th swine flu related death last week, according to a report released on Wednesday.
In its weekly update, the Ministry of Health indicated that the latest swine flu fatality was a 35-year-old woman with no prior history of serious illnesses.
The woman was admitted to a public hospital suffering from complications due to swine flu and passed away 10 days later, according to the report.
The ministry declined to state where the victim lived or which hospital she was admitted to.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom has posted a decline in swine flu cases for the sixth consecutive week, with 24 cases registered between December 9 and 16, down from 25 in the period between December 2 and 9 and 29 cases the previous week.
As of Wednesday, the total number of H1N1 cases reported in the Kingdom since the first case was recorded in June stood at 3,033.
Around 37 per cent of swine flu cases over the past week were over the age of 30, 29 per cent were in the 20-24 age bracket and 21 per cent were below the age of 10.
The weekly report also indicated that 9 per cent of the patients were in the 10- 19 age group and 4 per cent in the 25-29 age bracket.
Adel Bilbeisi, director of the ministry's primary healthcare directorate, told The Jordan Times that the drop may indicate the end of the current "flu wave".
Although the decline may mark the end of the first wave of the disease, he warned that the presence of swine flu in the country "is not over".
According to Bilbeisi, the ministry will launch a new campaign advising people at risk of contracting the disease to take the swine flu vaccine.
According to the ministry?s weekly report, 11,500 people categorised as high-risk have been inoculated since a vaccination campaign was launched last month.
In order to curb the spread of swine flu in the Kingdom, the ministry is currently vaccinating those categorised as high-risk groups.
These include 30,000 women in the third trimester of pregnancy, 310 patients suffering from kidney failure, children with type 1 diabetes, people with heart failure, an estimated 109 AIDS patients, some 1,200 thalassaemia patients and 10,000 patients with severe asthma.
In addition, the ministry has allocated 5,000 vaccines for medical staff who are in direct contact with swine flu patients, while some civil defence and public security personnel will also be inoculated.
The Health Ministry is purchasing two million vaccines from Novartis and 250,000 from Glaxo SmithKline, with one million doses to be delivered by the end of the year.
17 December 2009
16th swine flu fatality recorded
According to the Health Ministry?s weekly report, 11,500 people categorised as high-risk have been inoculated since a vaccination campaign was launched last month (Photo by Nader Daoud)
By Khetam Malkawi
AMMAN - The Kingdom recorded its 16th swine flu related death last week, according to a report released on Wednesday.
In its weekly update, the Ministry of Health indicated that the latest swine flu fatality was a 35-year-old woman with no prior history of serious illnesses.
The woman was admitted to a public hospital suffering from complications due to swine flu and passed away 10 days later, according to the report.
The ministry declined to state where the victim lived or which hospital she was admitted to.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom has posted a decline in swine flu cases for the sixth consecutive week, with 24 cases registered between December 9 and 16, down from 25 in the period between December 2 and 9 and 29 cases the previous week.
As of Wednesday, the total number of H1N1 cases reported in the Kingdom since the first case was recorded in June stood at 3,033.
Around 37 per cent of swine flu cases over the past week were over the age of 30, 29 per cent were in the 20-24 age bracket and 21 per cent were below the age of 10.
The weekly report also indicated that 9 per cent of the patients were in the 10- 19 age group and 4 per cent in the 25-29 age bracket.
Adel Bilbeisi, director of the ministry's primary healthcare directorate, told The Jordan Times that the drop may indicate the end of the current "flu wave".
Although the decline may mark the end of the first wave of the disease, he warned that the presence of swine flu in the country "is not over".
According to Bilbeisi, the ministry will launch a new campaign advising people at risk of contracting the disease to take the swine flu vaccine.
According to the ministry?s weekly report, 11,500 people categorised as high-risk have been inoculated since a vaccination campaign was launched last month.
In order to curb the spread of swine flu in the Kingdom, the ministry is currently vaccinating those categorised as high-risk groups.
These include 30,000 women in the third trimester of pregnancy, 310 patients suffering from kidney failure, children with type 1 diabetes, people with heart failure, an estimated 109 AIDS patients, some 1,200 thalassaemia patients and 10,000 patients with severe asthma.
In addition, the ministry has allocated 5,000 vaccines for medical staff who are in direct contact with swine flu patients, while some civil defence and public security personnel will also be inoculated.
The Health Ministry is purchasing two million vaccines from Novartis and 250,000 from Glaxo SmithKline, with one million doses to be delivered by the end of the year.
17 December 2009