The World Health Organisation has recently announced the spread of the swine flu virus all over the world is unstoppable, Reem Leila reports Representatives from 50 countries attended a recent two-day conference in Mexico to discuss strategies for combating swine flu. World Health Organisation (WHO) officials inaugurated the event by saying that though many people have recovered from the virus without help its spread can no longer be stopped. The WHO issued a press release stressing that the overwhelming majority of patients experienced mild symptoms and made a full recovery within a week, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment. In just over two months since the WHO's initial alert, swine flu has been reported in more than 100 countries. Over 70,000 people have contracted the virus and 320 cases have ended in the death of the patient. Authorities all over the world are becoming increasingly concerned as the peak flu season approaches. Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali suggested to the conference that ways to measure the strength of the virus be developed since the WHO's current system of notification, which relates solely to geographical spread, has left many members of the public in a state of panic. "We should take into consideration the ratio of infections to deaths, a percentage of less than 0.5 per cent. This gives a more realistic picture of the ferocity of the virus and will serve to reassure the public rather than make them anxious," said El-Gabali. By press time, the Ministry of Health announced the number of swine flu cases in the country reached 80, with a 21-year-old British woman who arrived at Luxor International Airport from London with flu-like symptoms. On Monday, the ministry had announced another case of H1N1. According to ministry spokesperson Abdel-Rahman Shahin, the case is of an Egyptian eight-year-old boy who arrived with his family from Greece on 30 June. The patient then travelled to Assiut where he experienced flu-like symptoms on 2 July and was admitted to a hospital in Assiut where he is currently being treated. Health Ministry also announced the recovery of 68 patients, while 12 are still hospitalised. This was preceded by an earlier announcement over the weekend that 78 cases of infection had been found in Egypt. Shahin said six cases included a six-year-old Egyptian girl, a 17-year- old Somali boy and a 56-year-old British man, all of whom recently arrived from England. Three other cases -- a 21-year-old male student from Chile, a 22-year-old woman and a 24-year- old man -- arrived on the same flight from Chile. The patients are currently being treated with Tamiflu, Shahin said. Following news reports that two patients in Denmark had failed to respond to Tamiflu, the Ministry of Health moved quickly to reassure the public. "The drug has had tremendous success in treating the disease worldwide," Shahin said, adding that it was "normal for some cases not to respond to a particular drug, something that happens with every disease". The Ministry of Health also issued a press release advising that the vaccine used for regular seasonal flu will not prevent infection and that masks were an unnecessary precaution given that most discovered cases in Egypt originated abroad and "internally Egypt is still safe". The Ministry of Health has sent the Ministry of Tourism an official request to allow medical teams to accompany Egyptian groups on the omra pilgrimage to Mecca, and to ensure that all pilgrims undergo a medical examination before travelling. The Health Ministry has further recommended that anyone with chest, heart, kidney or liver diseases defer their travel plans since they are most at risk from swine flu. Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garana issued a decree making travel insurance compulsory for pilgrims. Garana's decision met with the approval of the board of the Egyptian Travel Agencies Association. "Tourism agencies organise between 20 and 50 omra trips daily," says Deputy Minister of Tourism Osama El-Ashri. "In the end the most efficient long-term solution would be for the Health Ministry to establish a permanent medical centre in Saudi Arabia to deal with the health concerns of Egyptian pilgrims." According to the daily report issued by the Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), 51 per cent of swine flu cases reported in Egypt were among Egyptians who have not travelled abroad but who have been in contact with infected foreigners. Of the remaining cases, 21 per cent held dual citizenship, and 27 per cent were foreign nationals.
