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51 US soldiers in Iraq diagnosed with ?H1N1?
BAGHDAD, Aug 9, (Agencies): Fifty-one American troops in Iraq have been diagnosed with and treated for swine flu, while another 71 soldiers remain in isolation suspected of contracting the potentially deadly virus, the US military said Sunday. The figures were released as Iraqi health officials confirmed Sunday the country?s first swine flu death. A woman in the southern holy Shiite city of Najaf died of the disease, raising fears about a possible outbreak among worshippers making pilgrimages to the revered sites. All the 51 US troops diagnosed with the flu have fully recovered, while the 71 suspect cases are in isolation, said Col Michael D. Eisenhauer, the chief of clinical operations in Iraq. ?All personnel are screened for signs and symptoms of influenza prior to entering Iraq, in an effort to limit the spread of the H1N1 virus to this region,? Eisenhauer told The Associated Press in an e-mail. He said those who later develop a fever, sore throat or cough are tested, and put into isolation if suspected of swine flu. It was not immediately known whether the diagnosed and suspected cases were confined to a single US base, or whether they were spread across Iraq.
The US has previously said it would report any cases of the virus to the Iraqi government under an agreement between the two countries. Meanwhile, 28 cases of swine flu have been confirmed among Iraqis, including the 21-year-old woman who died from the virus in Najaf, said Dr. Ihsan Jaafar, a health ministry spokesman. The woman, who was not identified, died on Wednesday, Jaafar said. He also said the woman routinely visited a major shrine there before being diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, and quarantined. The spread of swine flu in the Arab world has raised concerns about the region?s ability to control the virus? spread among millions expected to attend this year?s hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Already, Arab health ministers have banned children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses from attending the hajj. There are similar concerns in Iraq over the hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims who make journeys to pray at shrines in Najaf and Karbala.
An aide to Iraq?s top Shiite cleric, Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, told worshippers during Friday prayers at the Imam al-Hussein shrine in Karbala that health officials must take measures to control the swine flu. ?We are calling on medical officials to be more prepared for such cases and supply the needed medicine,? Ahmed al-Safi said. In Karbala, health officials handed out masks and gloves during a recent festival honoring a 9th Century Shiite imam, or saint. North of Baghdad, in Saddam Hussein?s hometown of Tikrit, Iraqi and US medical professionals held a conference to outline a response to a possible swine flu outbreak as well as a prevention and treatment plan.
A public health campaign using posters and radio call-in shows are being used in some parts of Iraq to educate people about swine flu prevention. The World Health Organization, as of July 31, had tallied more than 162,000 swine flu cases worldwide. It counted at least 1,154 deaths, with more than 1,000 reported in the Americas, according to its Web site. In May, 18 US soldiers on their way to Iraq were diagnosed with swine flu in Kuwait. They recovered after treatment on an American base in Kuwait and left the country.
Saudi Arabia
A 25-year-old Saudi female patient was pronounced dead due to contracting the H1N1 virus bringing the total number of fatalities to eight, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. A statement by the ministry said the patient was diagnosed with the swine flu last Wednesday and was given the proper medication to fight the flu but her condition did not improve. According to WHO reports, the H1N1 flu had been spreading rapidly on a global level. The Ministry called on citizens to follow proper prevention procedures to shield themselves from the disease, adding that those suffering from any symptoms related to the disease must report to the nearest health center for treatment.
India
Swine flu scare has acquired serious dimension in India, even as the death toll reached four, and the disease spreading at a fast pace.
As many as three more persons are said to be in serious condition in different parts of the country.
According to a press release issued by the country?s Health Ministry, the latest three casualties are reported from the cities of Pune and Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the capital city of western state of Gujarat. The first casualty was 14-year-old schoolgirl who died on August 3 in Pune.
So far 864 swine flu cases have been reported from across India, out of whom 523 have been treated and the rest are undergoing treatment, added the press release.
Delhi alone has registered nearly 300 cases, and nearby towns also have been affected. The satellite town of Gurgaon has reported eight swine flu cases. One of the private schools in Delhi has decided to shut down for a week after two of its students tested positive for Influenza A virus.
Meanwhile, media reports said that several schools in Mumbai and neighbouring city Navi Mumbai have been shut for a week, and in Pune too all education institutions have been closed for a week as a precautionary measure.
Egypt
Egyptian health authorities are concerned over a risk that the H1N1, which is commonly referred to as swine flu, and the much deadlier H5N1 avian flu virus could combine with seasonal human influenza.
Speaking to KUNA, Egyptian Minister of Health Hatem Al-Gabali said the bird and swine flu pose the same source of danger to human health, warning against potential mixed human cases.
He also cautioned that there are several strains of swine flu, just like seasonal influenza, possible the most serious of which is the new flu virus that combines swine, avian and human flu.
Therefore, he urged all citizens to be cautious and obey preventive measures in a serious manner given that avian flu has become endemic in Egypt.
He said Egypt had reported a total of 82 avian flu human cases since the virus outbreak in the country, including 27 death cases, which is the highest rate in the world.
The Egyptian government has set an effective preventive plan to curb the disease ahead of the school year, which would start as scheduled on September 26, with the first class week to be allocated for teaching schoolchildren how to prevent infection.
Bahrain
Bahrain announced on Sunday that the swine flu situation in the kingdom was between Phase Four and Five, according to the six-level standard placed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to a Health Ministry statement, the situation in Bahrain ?is under control.? There have been more than 180 cases confirmed in Bahrain since the first case was discovered in May of this year.
However, the ministry said that this increase in the number of swine flu cases did not mean that the disease was out of control.
It added that it would be stopping daily announcements of the number of new cases discovered, and would instead be issuing weekly reports.
Palestine
The Palestinian Health Ministry declared on Sunday that five more Palestinians had been infected with the swine flu virus.
Dr Assad Al-Ramlawi, the director general of the health care department of the ministry, said the new cases were among pilgrims who returned from Saudi Arabia where they performed the Umra.
He added that four of the infected hailed from Ramallah and one from a suburb of Jerusalem, adding that they were two men, two children and a woman.
Dr Al-Ramlawi confirmed that the new discovered cases brought the total number of the swine flu patients in the Palestinian territories to 92.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, two days ago, declared that a 31-year-old Palestinian, infected with the with virus, died while performing the Umra in the Saudi Kingdom.
Israel
Fifteen cases of swine flu are being treated at Israeli hospitals, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday. More than 2,000 case of swine flu have been reported so far, of which five passed away as a result of the virus, the ministry said in a statement. According to Israeli radio, the health minister Yaqoub Litzman, will be heading to the US on Sunday to attend several meetings with US health officals to discuss ways to tackle and treat swine flu. In addition, Litzman will discuss with US officals means to provide vaccines for this virus.
51 US soldiers in Iraq diagnosed with ?H1N1?
BAGHDAD, Aug 9, (Agencies): Fifty-one American troops in Iraq have been diagnosed with and treated for swine flu, while another 71 soldiers remain in isolation suspected of contracting the potentially deadly virus, the US military said Sunday. The figures were released as Iraqi health officials confirmed Sunday the country?s first swine flu death. A woman in the southern holy Shiite city of Najaf died of the disease, raising fears about a possible outbreak among worshippers making pilgrimages to the revered sites. All the 51 US troops diagnosed with the flu have fully recovered, while the 71 suspect cases are in isolation, said Col Michael D. Eisenhauer, the chief of clinical operations in Iraq. ?All personnel are screened for signs and symptoms of influenza prior to entering Iraq, in an effort to limit the spread of the H1N1 virus to this region,? Eisenhauer told The Associated Press in an e-mail. He said those who later develop a fever, sore throat or cough are tested, and put into isolation if suspected of swine flu. It was not immediately known whether the diagnosed and suspected cases were confined to a single US base, or whether they were spread across Iraq.
The US has previously said it would report any cases of the virus to the Iraqi government under an agreement between the two countries. Meanwhile, 28 cases of swine flu have been confirmed among Iraqis, including the 21-year-old woman who died from the virus in Najaf, said Dr. Ihsan Jaafar, a health ministry spokesman. The woman, who was not identified, died on Wednesday, Jaafar said. He also said the woman routinely visited a major shrine there before being diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, and quarantined. The spread of swine flu in the Arab world has raised concerns about the region?s ability to control the virus? spread among millions expected to attend this year?s hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Already, Arab health ministers have banned children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses from attending the hajj. There are similar concerns in Iraq over the hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims who make journeys to pray at shrines in Najaf and Karbala.
An aide to Iraq?s top Shiite cleric, Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, told worshippers during Friday prayers at the Imam al-Hussein shrine in Karbala that health officials must take measures to control the swine flu. ?We are calling on medical officials to be more prepared for such cases and supply the needed medicine,? Ahmed al-Safi said. In Karbala, health officials handed out masks and gloves during a recent festival honoring a 9th Century Shiite imam, or saint. North of Baghdad, in Saddam Hussein?s hometown of Tikrit, Iraqi and US medical professionals held a conference to outline a response to a possible swine flu outbreak as well as a prevention and treatment plan.
A public health campaign using posters and radio call-in shows are being used in some parts of Iraq to educate people about swine flu prevention. The World Health Organization, as of July 31, had tallied more than 162,000 swine flu cases worldwide. It counted at least 1,154 deaths, with more than 1,000 reported in the Americas, according to its Web site. In May, 18 US soldiers on their way to Iraq were diagnosed with swine flu in Kuwait. They recovered after treatment on an American base in Kuwait and left the country.
Saudi Arabia
A 25-year-old Saudi female patient was pronounced dead due to contracting the H1N1 virus bringing the total number of fatalities to eight, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. A statement by the ministry said the patient was diagnosed with the swine flu last Wednesday and was given the proper medication to fight the flu but her condition did not improve. According to WHO reports, the H1N1 flu had been spreading rapidly on a global level. The Ministry called on citizens to follow proper prevention procedures to shield themselves from the disease, adding that those suffering from any symptoms related to the disease must report to the nearest health center for treatment.
India
Swine flu scare has acquired serious dimension in India, even as the death toll reached four, and the disease spreading at a fast pace.
As many as three more persons are said to be in serious condition in different parts of the country.
According to a press release issued by the country?s Health Ministry, the latest three casualties are reported from the cities of Pune and Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the capital city of western state of Gujarat. The first casualty was 14-year-old schoolgirl who died on August 3 in Pune.
So far 864 swine flu cases have been reported from across India, out of whom 523 have been treated and the rest are undergoing treatment, added the press release.
Delhi alone has registered nearly 300 cases, and nearby towns also have been affected. The satellite town of Gurgaon has reported eight swine flu cases. One of the private schools in Delhi has decided to shut down for a week after two of its students tested positive for Influenza A virus.
Meanwhile, media reports said that several schools in Mumbai and neighbouring city Navi Mumbai have been shut for a week, and in Pune too all education institutions have been closed for a week as a precautionary measure.
Egypt
Egyptian health authorities are concerned over a risk that the H1N1, which is commonly referred to as swine flu, and the much deadlier H5N1 avian flu virus could combine with seasonal human influenza.
Speaking to KUNA, Egyptian Minister of Health Hatem Al-Gabali said the bird and swine flu pose the same source of danger to human health, warning against potential mixed human cases.
He also cautioned that there are several strains of swine flu, just like seasonal influenza, possible the most serious of which is the new flu virus that combines swine, avian and human flu.
Therefore, he urged all citizens to be cautious and obey preventive measures in a serious manner given that avian flu has become endemic in Egypt.
He said Egypt had reported a total of 82 avian flu human cases since the virus outbreak in the country, including 27 death cases, which is the highest rate in the world.
The Egyptian government has set an effective preventive plan to curb the disease ahead of the school year, which would start as scheduled on September 26, with the first class week to be allocated for teaching schoolchildren how to prevent infection.
Bahrain
Bahrain announced on Sunday that the swine flu situation in the kingdom was between Phase Four and Five, according to the six-level standard placed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to a Health Ministry statement, the situation in Bahrain ?is under control.? There have been more than 180 cases confirmed in Bahrain since the first case was discovered in May of this year.
However, the ministry said that this increase in the number of swine flu cases did not mean that the disease was out of control.
It added that it would be stopping daily announcements of the number of new cases discovered, and would instead be issuing weekly reports.
Palestine
The Palestinian Health Ministry declared on Sunday that five more Palestinians had been infected with the swine flu virus.
Dr Assad Al-Ramlawi, the director general of the health care department of the ministry, said the new cases were among pilgrims who returned from Saudi Arabia where they performed the Umra.
He added that four of the infected hailed from Ramallah and one from a suburb of Jerusalem, adding that they were two men, two children and a woman.
Dr Al-Ramlawi confirmed that the new discovered cases brought the total number of the swine flu patients in the Palestinian territories to 92.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, two days ago, declared that a 31-year-old Palestinian, infected with the with virus, died while performing the Umra in the Saudi Kingdom.
Israel
Fifteen cases of swine flu are being treated at Israeli hospitals, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday. More than 2,000 case of swine flu have been reported so far, of which five passed away as a result of the virus, the ministry said in a statement. According to Israeli radio, the health minister Yaqoub Litzman, will be heading to the US on Sunday to attend several meetings with US health officals to discuss ways to tackle and treat swine flu. In addition, Litzman will discuss with US officals means to provide vaccines for this virus.
