By John Ramsey
Staff writer
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Approximately 18 people on U.S. military bases in Kuwait have tested positive for swine virus, a U.S. Central Command spokeswoman said today.
They are the first cases reported in Kuwait. It remains unclear whether the virus has spread to the civilian population.
The names and units of the infected people were not immediately available.
Maj. Kristi Beckman said everyone who tested positive for the disease was quarantined in military health facilities approved by officials from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.
On Friday, the World Health Organization said H1N1 influenza has infected 11,168 individuals in 42 countries, and caused 86 deaths. Kuwait was not on its list of countries where the virus is present.
Kuwait is used as a staging area for soldiers heading to or from the war in Iraq.
On April 28, the Kuwait Times newspaper reported that the country was free of the virus.
The country is aggressively screening anyone arriving in Kuwait to prevent the virus from entering the country, Beckman said. Anyone who exhibits symptoms of the disease is immediately isolated and tested using WHO and Centers for Disease Control guidelines, Beckman said.
?The embassy in Kuwait has been working with the Kuwait Ministry of Health and other U.S. military elements in Kuwait just to assure we?re safeguarding the health of all residents in Kuwait,? Beckman said.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=327234
Staff writer
ADVERTISEMENT
Approximately 18 people on U.S. military bases in Kuwait have tested positive for swine virus, a U.S. Central Command spokeswoman said today.
They are the first cases reported in Kuwait. It remains unclear whether the virus has spread to the civilian population.
The names and units of the infected people were not immediately available.
Maj. Kristi Beckman said everyone who tested positive for the disease was quarantined in military health facilities approved by officials from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.
On Friday, the World Health Organization said H1N1 influenza has infected 11,168 individuals in 42 countries, and caused 86 deaths. Kuwait was not on its list of countries where the virus is present.
Kuwait is used as a staging area for soldiers heading to or from the war in Iraq.
On April 28, the Kuwait Times newspaper reported that the country was free of the virus.
The country is aggressively screening anyone arriving in Kuwait to prevent the virus from entering the country, Beckman said. Anyone who exhibits symptoms of the disease is immediately isolated and tested using WHO and Centers for Disease Control guidelines, Beckman said.
?The embassy in Kuwait has been working with the Kuwait Ministry of Health and other U.S. military elements in Kuwait just to assure we?re safeguarding the health of all residents in Kuwait,? Beckman said.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=327234
