JEDDAH: Health teams at the Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) have imposed ban on people, especially sailors on ships coming from European ports, entering Jeddah without the permission of the health authorities.
The measure has been introduced as part of the Health Ministry’s efforts to check the spread of swine flu in the Kingdom. The ministry also advised citizens and expatriates yesterday to take adequate precaution against the disease while leaving the Kingdom for summer vacations.
The precautionary measures have been put in place at the JIP following the second confirmed case of swine flu in the Kingdom on Sunday when a Saudi student returning from the US tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The first case, that of a Filipino nurse returning from the Philippines, was reported on Wednesday.
The restrictions on sailors and passengers are in addition to systematic checks on ships coming to the port.
“Most sea passengers entering the Kingdom are pilgrims from Egypt and Sudan. Health workers examine them on their arrival.
“Since the installation of thermal cameras is not complete, disposable thermometers are currently being used to detect swine flu,” said Dr. Saleh Siraj, director of the Health Monitoring Office at the JIP.
But prior to these checks there are other layers of safeguards. A ship’s log is meticulously checked and it is the onus of a ship’s captain to list the details of any passenger showing symptoms of the illness.
These are recorded in special forms and registers. Passengers showing flu-like symptoms or high temperatures undergo thorough medical tests as required by the Ministry of Health, the director said.
Siraj said all clinical records available in the ship about passengers and crew are also examined. “If the ship’s log shows that it had called on any ports in countries that are on the World Health Organization’s watch list, thorough investigations are conducted and measures, including disinfection of the ship, are taken,” the official said.
“We communicate with ships that seek permission to berth to learn if anyone on board is suspected of being affected by the H1N1 virus so that steps could be taken to quarantine the patient,” he said, elaborating on procedures relating to ships coming to the port.
“Our health teams visit ships for medical checkups and yellow flags are hoisted on ships to warn of the presence of infectious disease, if any. Only after the flag is brought down are vessels permitted to enter the port,” the official added.
Abdul Khaliq Abul Ala, director of the Quality Laboratory at the port, however, refused to answer Arab News’ questions about precautionary measures taken at the laboratory against the infection.
An official at the port’s animal and plant quarantine department also redirected Arab News to pose questions on the matter to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Ministry of Health, meanwhile, said it has not imposed any travel restrictions on people who wish to go out of the Kingdom for holidays or business.
“But they should take sufficient precautionary measures against the flu,” Amal Abu Jedaie, head of the ministry’s Call Center, told Arab News yesterday.
On Saturday, the Call Center opened a toll free line (800-249-4444) to respond to queries from the public.
Jedaie said the center was inundated with calls from Saudis and expatriate families seeking the ministry’s advice for travel plans during the summer holidays.
“Our only advice to those callers is to travel but take all preventive measures to keep away from the influenza,” she stressed.
Jedaie said that a team of experts has been deployed at the center to answer callers during office hours. She added that callers are treated with strict confidentiality.
Ban on poultry products
The Saudi Food and Drugs Authority has banned the import of several poultry products following the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) discovering that pork and beef derivatives were being used in some chicken products in the UK.
A recent warning posted on FSA site said, “If you choose not to eat pork or beef you may wish to avoid chicken that contains hydrolyzed animal proteins.”
— With input from Mohammed Rasooldeen
