Middle East countries are taking precautionary measures against swine flu as the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the global influenza pandemic alert level to Phase 4 after the influenza A /H1N1 virus infection claimed more than 150 lives in Mexico and spread to several other countries.
Egypt
- Leaflets aimed at raising swine flu awareness have been prepared and sent to all Health Ministry departments in Egypt, Amr Kandil, head of the Health Ministry’s Central Department for Preventive Affairs, said in a statement.
- Airport quarantine offices were instructed to start screening passengers coming from Mexico, open files for them and monitor them, the statement read.
- The ministry said it is designing a series of training courses for doctors on swine flu, symptoms, surveillance, reporting methods and medication.
Iraq
- The health authorities are gradually increasing their preparedness, said Ihsan Jaafar, director-general of the public health directorate at the Health Ministry.
- “We are preparing a special place in each hospital [to receive possible cases], making available antibiotics and medicines to all hospitals… stepping up monitoring activities and raising public awareness, Jaafar said.
- Tamiflu is available in sufficient quantities at all hospitals in all provinces, and “will meet all the needs in case of any outbreak,” according to Jaafar.
- A workshop for staff at local media outlets is scheduled on 29 April in Baghdad on how to report possible cases and raise awareness.
- On 27 April senior health and agriculture officials in Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdish area announced stringent checks for swine flu at two international airports and four border crossings with Iran and Turkey. A public awareness campaign will be launched in the area.
Israel
Israel is the only country in the Middle East so far which has reported cases of swine flu. A 26-year-old Israeli is hospitalised (as of the morning of 28 April) in Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, and test results confirm he has contracted the A/H1N1 swine flu virus. A 49-year-old man was admitted to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, on 27 April after returning from Mexico on 26 April with flu symptoms.
- The Israeli Ministry of Health has recommended that people should postpone non-essential trips to Mexico.
- On 28 April top Israeli Health Ministry official Avi Israeli ordered the state of alert raised from level 3 to 4.
- Israel’s Ministry of Defence has been put on alert. Should there be a swine flu pandemic the military will have the power to shut airports and control infected areas. Defence Minister Ehud Barak instructed staff on 28 April to prepare for this possibility.
Jordan
- Adel Bilbeisi, director of the Primary Healthcare Directorate, said the kingdom was intensifying surveillance, preparing laboratories and monitoring border crossing points.
- A form will be filled by passengers coming from countries with reported swine flu cases to provide information about possible symptoms. They will be inspected based on the information they provide.
- Bilbeisi said Jordan had a stock of more than three million capsules of Tamiflu.
Lebanon
- Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifa said the country’s stockpile of Tamiflu was enough to treat 70,000 of the country’s four million people, adding that the stockpile was sufficient to deal with any outbreak.
- Based on WHO recommendations, Lebanon is not screening passengers arriving at its international airport nor at any of its land or sea borders.
- Khalifa said doctors and health workers in Lebanon were regularly inoculated with Tamiflu which covers 50-60 strains of normal influenza and could hamper the development of the swine flu virus.
- The Health Ministry is urging any member of the public with a high fever-like temperature not to send their children to school and not to go into work. Lebanese are also being urged to avoid shaking hands, not to engage in the customary social greeting of three kisses on the cheek, and to wash their hands regularly throughout the day.
Occupied Palestinian territories
- On 27 April the manager of health care at the Palestinian Authority health ministry, Issad Ramlawi, told local reporters: “After a suspected case of swine flu was discovered within the Israeli boundaries, the likelihood of transmission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip is high.”
- The health ministry has stocks of Tamiflu but will need to secure a larger quantity, according Ramlawi.
Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia has revised its national plan for communicable diseases, according to Khalid Marghalani, a spokesperson for the Saudi Health Ministry.
- Information about how to diagnose the disease was sent to doctors in all hospitals and health centres.
- A hotline was established for people who might seek medical advice or information on the disease.
United Arab Emirates
- A special swine flu committee has been formed, modelled on the national committee for bird flu, to closely monitor the situation.
- An urgent meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council health ministers will be held in Doha on 2 May to coordinate plans to deal with swine flu in case of an outbreak.
- A technical meeting for experts and professionals will take place in Riyadh next week to follow up on the issue, UAE Health Minister Humaid al-Qutami said.
- No travel restrictions or passenger screening at airports and border crossing points.
- The first step is to increase surveillance and awareness among medical workers, and a circular on the disease for medical workers has been distributed, Mahmoud Fikri, chief executive officer for health policies in the Health Ministry, said.
- Al-Qutami said the country has enough Tamiflu but did not specify the exact amount.
- A local newspaper quoted a health official as saying the country had about three million capsules of Tamiflu.
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Egypt
- Leaflets aimed at raising swine flu awareness have been prepared and sent to all Health Ministry departments in Egypt, Amr Kandil, head of the Health Ministry’s Central Department for Preventive Affairs, said in a statement.
- Airport quarantine offices were instructed to start screening passengers coming from Mexico, open files for them and monitor them, the statement read.
- The ministry said it is designing a series of training courses for doctors on swine flu, symptoms, surveillance, reporting methods and medication.
Iraq
- The health authorities are gradually increasing their preparedness, said Ihsan Jaafar, director-general of the public health directorate at the Health Ministry.
- “We are preparing a special place in each hospital [to receive possible cases], making available antibiotics and medicines to all hospitals… stepping up monitoring activities and raising public awareness, Jaafar said.
- Tamiflu is available in sufficient quantities at all hospitals in all provinces, and “will meet all the needs in case of any outbreak,” according to Jaafar.
- A workshop for staff at local media outlets is scheduled on 29 April in Baghdad on how to report possible cases and raise awareness.
- On 27 April senior health and agriculture officials in Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdish area announced stringent checks for swine flu at two international airports and four border crossings with Iran and Turkey. A public awareness campaign will be launched in the area.
Israel
Israel is the only country in the Middle East so far which has reported cases of swine flu. A 26-year-old Israeli is hospitalised (as of the morning of 28 April) in Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, and test results confirm he has contracted the A/H1N1 swine flu virus. A 49-year-old man was admitted to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv, on 27 April after returning from Mexico on 26 April with flu symptoms.
- The Israeli Ministry of Health has recommended that people should postpone non-essential trips to Mexico.
- On 28 April top Israeli Health Ministry official Avi Israeli ordered the state of alert raised from level 3 to 4.
- Israel’s Ministry of Defence has been put on alert. Should there be a swine flu pandemic the military will have the power to shut airports and control infected areas. Defence Minister Ehud Barak instructed staff on 28 April to prepare for this possibility.
Jordan
- Adel Bilbeisi, director of the Primary Healthcare Directorate, said the kingdom was intensifying surveillance, preparing laboratories and monitoring border crossing points.
- A form will be filled by passengers coming from countries with reported swine flu cases to provide information about possible symptoms. They will be inspected based on the information they provide.
- Bilbeisi said Jordan had a stock of more than three million capsules of Tamiflu.
Lebanon
- Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifa said the country’s stockpile of Tamiflu was enough to treat 70,000 of the country’s four million people, adding that the stockpile was sufficient to deal with any outbreak.
- Based on WHO recommendations, Lebanon is not screening passengers arriving at its international airport nor at any of its land or sea borders.
- Khalifa said doctors and health workers in Lebanon were regularly inoculated with Tamiflu which covers 50-60 strains of normal influenza and could hamper the development of the swine flu virus.
- The Health Ministry is urging any member of the public with a high fever-like temperature not to send their children to school and not to go into work. Lebanese are also being urged to avoid shaking hands, not to engage in the customary social greeting of three kisses on the cheek, and to wash their hands regularly throughout the day.
Occupied Palestinian territories
- On 27 April the manager of health care at the Palestinian Authority health ministry, Issad Ramlawi, told local reporters: “After a suspected case of swine flu was discovered within the Israeli boundaries, the likelihood of transmission to the West Bank and Gaza Strip is high.”
- The health ministry has stocks of Tamiflu but will need to secure a larger quantity, according Ramlawi.
Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia has revised its national plan for communicable diseases, according to Khalid Marghalani, a spokesperson for the Saudi Health Ministry.
- Information about how to diagnose the disease was sent to doctors in all hospitals and health centres.
- A hotline was established for people who might seek medical advice or information on the disease.
United Arab Emirates
- A special swine flu committee has been formed, modelled on the national committee for bird flu, to closely monitor the situation.
- An urgent meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council health ministers will be held in Doha on 2 May to coordinate plans to deal with swine flu in case of an outbreak.
- A technical meeting for experts and professionals will take place in Riyadh next week to follow up on the issue, UAE Health Minister Humaid al-Qutami said.
- No travel restrictions or passenger screening at airports and border crossing points.
- The first step is to increase surveillance and awareness among medical workers, and a circular on the disease for medical workers has been distributed, Mahmoud Fikri, chief executive officer for health policies in the Health Ministry, said.
- Al-Qutami said the country has enough Tamiflu but did not specify the exact amount.
- A local newspaper quoted a health official as saying the country had about three million capsules of Tamiflu.
dvh/hm/td/sm/at/cb
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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