Egypt expects to receive 1.2 million doses of the H1N1 vaccination in January 2010, to be followed by 5 million more doses in later batches. After this, the number of H1N1 vaccines produced is predicted to fall sharply, as manufacturing capacities will not allow for the vaccination of the entire world's population, said Minister of Health Hatem el-Gabali. Saudi authorities told me that pilgrims who are not vaccinated will not be allowed into Saudi Arabia, said el-Gabali to Al-Masry Al-Youm, pointing out that the ministry sent a letter to Saudi Arabia informing that that the H1N1 vaccines had been delivered. The vaccination of pilgrims is mandatory now that the vaccine is available in Egypt, he said, advising pilgrims to pay attention to general and personal cleanliness and to stay away from crowded places to avoid infection. Egyptian medical clinics will be stationed in Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, he said, adding that Mecca's clinic is equipped to serve some 40,000 to 50,000 Egyptian pilgrims. Meanwhile, quarantine authorities in the Red Sea governorate detained five students from the Azhar Institute and the Secondary Industrial School in Hurghada, who had flu-like symptoms. Governor Magdi el-Qobayessy decided to close a class at the Azhar Institute for boys in Hurghada, following the infection of a student there. In addition, the fever hospital in Monofeya detained a citizen from the Agayza village who was suspected of having avian flu. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
