CAIRO: Egypt’s Ministry of Health announced three new cases of swine flu on Tuesday afternoon, pushing the total number of reported cases up to 26.
Health Ministry Spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin said the news cases involved: the Sudanese mother, 22, of the 14-month-old-boy that tested positive for H1N1 late Sunday; another Sudanese woman, 24, who accompanied them from Canada on June 11 on KLM airline; and an eight-year-old Egyptian-American who arrived to Cairo from the US on June 13.
The last patient first displayed flu-like symptoms on June 14 and is currently being treated at an Egyptian hospital.
Two Italians who were suspected of having swine flu tested negative for H1N1 and left the Hurghada General Hospital, according to Mohamed Rifai, director of the preventive medicine administration at the Red Sea Health Directorate.
In related news, Jordan’s Minister of Health Naif Al Fayez, announced on Tuesday that Jordan has identified its first two cases of the H1N1 flu virus in two young women who arrived from the United States last week.
On the same day, Qatar announced its first two cases of H1N1 flu in two foreign children who arrived from the United States and Austria.
Egypt was clear of swine flu until June 1. The first 12 cases have been cured and left the hospital, the remaining patients are all in stable condition and are receiving Tamiflu treatment.
The Ministry of Health did not decree any stringent regulations to contain the virus, only advising citizens to open windows in public transport and avoid crowded areas.
In an interesting note, BBC Scotland’s health correspondent Eleanor Bradford said in the article “Your Swine Flu Questions Answered, in which she answers readers’ inquiries, “To put it in context, you’re far more likely to be run over by a car in Egypt (or Scotland, for that matter) than to get swine flu.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alert level to the maximum stage six, signaling a global pandemic.
However, the organization did not stipulate travel restrictions or border closures.
As of Tuesday, according to WHO, 76 countries have officially reported 35, 928 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 163 deaths.
