The statement said official figures “showed a sharp drop in the infection figures from around 17,000 cases — 124 of which were fatal — in 2009 to only 875 infection cases so far this year.”

The infections that have been diagnosed this year have been mild and scattered, the statement pointed out.

The news comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Tuesday that the global swine flu pandemic is over, though it is still present and continues to infect people.

The WHO recommends that health authorities continue to monitor the progress of the infection cases of the patients and to promote the vaccination of young children and pregnant women.

The Ministry of Health has said it would continue to monitor to the virus and urge the country’s physicians to be vigilant.

Saudi Arabia has played a unique role in helping to develop a strategy for combating the spread of the virus due to the Haj when millions of pilgrims from all over the globe convene each year.