Saudis to hold workshop to fight swine flu

Saudis to hold workshop to fight swine flu

The nation’s health minister asked the ministry to set up workshops to better prepare officials to curb the spread of swine flu in the Kingdom.

June 17, 2009 2:29 by Dana El Baltaji

Elsewhere in the Gulf, three people arriving in Doha on international flights were diagnosed with the virus and Kuwait reported that one of its citizens tested positive — the first among the emirate’s resident population.

Qatar’s Health Minister Abdullah Al Qahtani said a two-year-old New Zealand child tested positive for the flu on arrival in Doha on Saturday from Austria after a stopover in Dubai.

And a two-year-old American-Bangladeshi boy transiting Doha on Sunday from New York to Bangladesh who showed flu symptoms was taken to the airport clinic where he was diagnosed with the infection, Al Qahtani was quoted by the official QNA news agency as saying.

An Iraqi arriving from the United States was also found to be infected with the virus, the official told a news conference.

Meanwhile, Jordanian health authorities yesterday announced the discovery of the first cases of swine flu in the country — two girls, who arrived from outside the country.

Health Minister Nayef Al-Fayez did not name the country, but said the patients have been quarantined and receiving treatment. “They are both in good health,” Al-Fayez added.

First seen in Arab News.

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Tags: Health Minister, Saudi Arabia, swine flu