RIYADH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said yesterday the Arab Gulf region is so far free from the H1N1 flu that has affected at least 29 countries around the world. The minister was speaking to reporters after inaugurating a meeting of the GCC ministers of health in Riyadh to discuss precautionary measures against the virus.
“We are holding this conference to intensify our efforts to keep the disease out of the region, and we seek the cooperation of all countries in the region to make it a success,” Al-Rabeeah said. “We have placed the Kingdom on red alert to monitor any signs of the disease. We have already installed thermal cameras at all airports and are currently installing them at seaports too,” he said.
He said the Kingdom has chalked out a national plan for the H1N1 program in line with the directives of the World Health Organization (WHO).
More than 3,440 people in 29 countries have been infected with the virus, according to a WHO bulletin yesterday. “This is a cause of concern for the Arab world,” Al-Rabeeah said, pointing out that the Kingdom is a country frequented by millions of people because of the location of the two holy cities. “It is our responsibility to prevent this disease from coming through visitors,” he said.
Dr. Tawfik Khoja, executive director of the GCC Health Ministers Secretariat in Riyadh, said pharmaceutical companies in the GCC region should have adequate stocks of required medicines to cater for at least 10 percent of the population.
Dr. Khaled Al-Zahrani, assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine, said the Ministry of Health has put all 20 health regions in the Kingdom on red alert. He added that health officials working in community medicine centers, primary health care centers and airports are being trained to deal with potential H1N1 cases.
