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Source: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&sec...9&m=6&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Expertise sought to quickly identify swine flu carriers
Samir Al-Saadi & Muhammad Humaidan | Arab News
JEDDAH: The Kingdom is seeking US and European help in its bid to speed up the process of identifying passengers with swine flu symptoms at the country's points of entry.
"We are looking for expertise from Europe and the CDC (the US Centers for Disease Control) to introduce rapid testing at the ports of entry," said Dr. Ziyad Maymash, the newly appointed assistant undersecretary for preventive medicine at the Ministry of Health. He was speaking at the opening session of an international workshop on swine flu at Jeddah Hilton yesterday.
Six new swine flu cases have been detected in the Kingdom bringing the total toll to 68, the Health Ministry announced yesterday. The new cases included a 22-year-old Saudi who came from the US, a 17-year-old Pakistani resident who came from the UK and three Filipino nurses, the ministry said, adding that all of them were reported in Riyadh. The sixth case is a 29-year-old Filipino maid in Taif who just returned after vacation in the Philippines.
Speaking about measures adopted by Saudi authorities to prevent an outbreak of swine flu during the upcoming pilgrimage season, Maymash said 10 new fever-detecting thermal cameras would be installed at King Abdulaziz International Airport, the main gateway of pilgrims.
Additional cameras will also be made available in case the already installed ones malfunctioned, he said.
"The Kingdom invests all its resources in making the annual Haj and Umrah seasons safe," said Maymash. "I am very optimistic about making a plan that is comprehensive and safe, a plan that will be endorsed by international experts and agencies aiding us, and, hopefully, we will make this Haj safer."
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the World Health Organization and experts from China, Australia, Greece and the UK are attending the workshop.
The participants were placed in four working groups made up of five to six persons. The workshop aims at studying methods of creating awareness, providing treatment and ways of preventing the spread of the disease.
"In the next three days we are hoping to review the Health Ministry's plan for preventing infectious diseases during Haj and Umrah," Maymash said. Every year the ministry lays out a detailed plan for preventive measures to be taken within the country ahead of the pilgrimage season.
"These measures are being studied now. In the next three to four days the recommendations will be formalized," said Maymash. "Once they are approved they will be distributed by the WHO to different countries around the globe with clear instructions on travel regulations. We have to enforce surveillance measures at points of entry and put in place a very effective surveillance program inside the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah."
"The swine flu situation is reasonably stable," he added. "The mortality rate is extremely low; at less than two percent globally it's much better compared to the common flu."
The Ministry of Health meanwhile announced the establishment of a department of Clinical Administration with the aim of improving medical performance and minimizing malpractice.
The ministry also formed a Patients Relations and Rights Committee aimed at setting the guidelines for patients' legal rights in hospitals.
Expertise sought to quickly identify swine flu carriers
Samir Al-Saadi & Muhammad Humaidan | Arab News
JEDDAH: The Kingdom is seeking US and European help in its bid to speed up the process of identifying passengers with swine flu symptoms at the country's points of entry.
"We are looking for expertise from Europe and the CDC (the US Centers for Disease Control) to introduce rapid testing at the ports of entry," said Dr. Ziyad Maymash, the newly appointed assistant undersecretary for preventive medicine at the Ministry of Health. He was speaking at the opening session of an international workshop on swine flu at Jeddah Hilton yesterday.
Six new swine flu cases have been detected in the Kingdom bringing the total toll to 68, the Health Ministry announced yesterday. The new cases included a 22-year-old Saudi who came from the US, a 17-year-old Pakistani resident who came from the UK and three Filipino nurses, the ministry said, adding that all of them were reported in Riyadh. The sixth case is a 29-year-old Filipino maid in Taif who just returned after vacation in the Philippines.
Speaking about measures adopted by Saudi authorities to prevent an outbreak of swine flu during the upcoming pilgrimage season, Maymash said 10 new fever-detecting thermal cameras would be installed at King Abdulaziz International Airport, the main gateway of pilgrims.
Additional cameras will also be made available in case the already installed ones malfunctioned, he said.
"The Kingdom invests all its resources in making the annual Haj and Umrah seasons safe," said Maymash. "I am very optimistic about making a plan that is comprehensive and safe, a plan that will be endorsed by international experts and agencies aiding us, and, hopefully, we will make this Haj safer."
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the World Health Organization and experts from China, Australia, Greece and the UK are attending the workshop.
The participants were placed in four working groups made up of five to six persons. The workshop aims at studying methods of creating awareness, providing treatment and ways of preventing the spread of the disease.
"In the next three days we are hoping to review the Health Ministry's plan for preventing infectious diseases during Haj and Umrah," Maymash said. Every year the ministry lays out a detailed plan for preventive measures to be taken within the country ahead of the pilgrimage season.
"These measures are being studied now. In the next three to four days the recommendations will be formalized," said Maymash. "Once they are approved they will be distributed by the WHO to different countries around the globe with clear instructions on travel regulations. We have to enforce surveillance measures at points of entry and put in place a very effective surveillance program inside the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah."
"The swine flu situation is reasonably stable," he added. "The mortality rate is extremely low; at less than two percent globally it's much better compared to the common flu."
The Ministry of Health meanwhile announced the establishment of a department of Clinical Administration with the aim of improving medical performance and minimizing malpractice.
The ministry also formed a Patients Relations and Rights Committee aimed at setting the guidelines for patients' legal rights in hospitals.