Rtyadh, August 18: The hospitals in the Kingdom have treated approximately 2,000 cases of swine flu, the Ministry of Health announced here on Monday.
“Ninety-five percent of them have fully recovered and have returned to their normal work,” said Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani.
The first case of swine flu was diagnosed in a Filipino nurse on June 27 when she returned to Riyadh following her annual vacation. So far, Al-Mirghalani said, there have been 14 deaths due to swine flu; 11 of them have been Saudis. The foreign nationals were identified as an Indonesian maid, a Sri Lankan who came on a business trip to Riyadh from Dubai and an Indian expatriate. The official said that most of the cases were between the age group of 10 and 35.
He said that a large number of swine flu cases in the Kingdom were detected among people who contracted the disease from residents and expatriates coming from foreign countries. “Although we have a full-fledged team of quarantine officials at all entry points supported with thermal cameras, some of the patients tend to slip through the network since they develop the fever some days after their arrival.”
He advised that anybody, who suffers from high fever, shortness of breath, persistent cough or chest pain for more than three days, should contact his or her respective doctors. He also stressed that people must adhere to personal hygiene such as washing their hands, covering their nose and mouth while sneezing and covering themselves with face masks when moving in a large crowd.
The preventive measures undertaken by the ministry to combat the flu included installation of thermal cameras at all land, sea and air entry points of the Kingdom, introduction of mobile surveillance team to monitor the movement of the flu through the network of all health regions.
“We have also stipulated new quarantine regulations for the pilgrims who will visit the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah during the Haj,” he said.
—Agencies