RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has urged people not to overreact to the news of the first case of swine flu reported yesterday in the Saudi media.
“People must not be scared, rather they should take precautions and should not believe rumors and misleading information,” said Ministry of Health spokesman Khaled Al-Mirghalani.
The ministry has called all passengers who arrived in Riyadh on board the Gulf Air Flight163 to ensure that they are not carrying the H1N1 virus.
A Filipino nurse, who took that flight, tested positive for swine flu in Riyadh on Tuesday, three days after she returned from holiday.
The 40-year-old nurse together with her family members are currently being quarantined at the Riyadh-based King Faisal Hospital and Research Center. The nurse works at the hospital and the H1N1 virus was detected during a routine checkup of hospital workers. No other passenger of that flight has been diagnosed with swine flu.
The ambassador of the Philippines, Antonio Villamor, and a source at the hospital confirmed that the nurse and her family have been quarantined. The nurse is in stable condition.
“There are no additional cases of swine flu,” Abdullah Al Hokail, chief of the infectious department at the hospital told Arab News. “The other people who are being kept under observation have no positive signs so far,” added Al-Hokail.
Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the infected nurse did not have signs of the flu until three days after arriving in the Kingdom.
An official from the Ministry of Health explained that the thermal cameras at the airport would detect a case of infection only when a person has a fever. The official requested that any person who has a fever after returning from a country where there has been cases of swine flu should volunteer for testing.
Beginning tomorrow, the Ministry of Health will set up a toll free line (800-249-4444) to respond to queries from the public on any matter related to swine flu. He said that callers would be treated with strict confidentiality. Experienced doctors in the relevant field will assist the callers in clarifying doubts, the official noted.
Seven new cases of swine flu were confirmed yesterday in the Philippines. This has brought the number of people found carrying the virus in the country to 29.
The signs of infection with swine flu are similar to other forms of influenza and include a fever, coughing, headaches, pain in muscles or joints, sore throat, fatigue and runny nose. People at higher risk of serious complications include those suffering from asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease or a weakened immune system.
The H1N1 virus is a relatively mild strain. The H5N1 bird flu virus that broke out in Asia in the late 1990s was considerably more deadly.
However, scientists fear the H1N1 virus could mutate into a more dangerous and infectious form.
— With input from Mohammed Rasooldeen
