Twenty-nine cases and more to come. So what is being done, asks Reem Leila As swine flu infections climb in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and the Middle East the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared its first influenza pandemic in 41 years. Following an emergency meeting of experts Abdullah El-Sa'edy, assistant WHO director, announced in a press conference on 11 June that the organisation had decided to raise its pandemic warning from phase five to six, the highest. The virus has hit 74 countries. More than 30,000 people have been affected and there have been 145 fatalities. The WHO last raised its pandemic warning, from phase four to phase five, in April. Following a meeting at the National Democratic Party (NDP) Gamal Mubarak, head of the Policies Committee, said "all international and national reports mention there is no need to take any exceptional measurements. The Ministry of Health is fulfilling its duty and performing well in dealing with the virus." He added that transparency and people's health topped the NDP's priorities. Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabali points out that in comparison with other countries Egypt as yet has very few cases. "There are 449 suspected cases to date, and the whole situation is under control," he said. As the newspaper went to print, Egypt so far reported 29 cases of swine flu. The latest cases, reported Wednesday, numbered three: a 15-year-old girl from Colombia who arrived in Cairo on 10 June and who also infected her mother. Another was a five-year-old Egyptian-Canadian girl coming from Canada. The last is a 21-year-old Egyptian male working at a Cairo hotel. On Monday the Ministry of Health reported three cases of swine flu. Health Ministry spokesman Abdel-Rahman Shahin said in a statement that an American woman and her 13-year-old daughter had both tested positive for the virus. They arrived in Egypt from the US on 5 June. Both have been hospitalised. The third case is a Sudanese woman aged 49. She is being treated with Tamiflu and her condition is described as stable. On Tuesday a further two Sudanese women tested positive -- both had come into contact with the woman diagnosed a day earlier -- as well as an eight year-old Egyptian American who had recently travelled from the US. Shahin said 12 of the 29 cases so far confirmed had recovered and been discharged from the hospital and the seven-day quarantine on an American University in Cairo hostel in the Cairo district of Zamalek had been lifted. El-Sa'edy announced that there were no plans to close international borders or prohibit travel, nor will there be any restrictions on trade or means of transportation. "The WHO is not recommending travel restrictions, nor does it have evidence that there is any risk from eating cooked pork," El-Sa'edy said during the press conference. "Phase six was announced because the criteria for declaring a pandemic have been met. Now that a pandemic has been declared, governments, including Egypt, will need to focus resources on caring for those who fall ill." Cabinet spokesman Magdi Radi said that Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif had ordered greater vigilance in detecting swine flu coming from abroad but that there were no plans to shut down public transport or schools, and exams would continue as scheduled. The Health Ministry has advised citizens not to panic and continue with their daily routine as normal, while taking all precautionary measures. Shahin confirmed that the Ministry of Health has stockpiles of 2.5 million courses of Tamiflu, with the same amount on order. But he warned the drug should not be taken as a preventative measure since doing so would make it less effective should the patient then contract swine flu. Officials have been at pains to counter rumours concerning swine flu, with Shahin flatly denying there were any plans to close down the metro system in Cairo, and refuting suggestions that the Ministry of Health had closed down a fast food outlet in Maadi after one of the staff members tested positive for swine flu. The government has agreed to create a new production line within the coming few months to package the Tamiflu in Egypt in cooperation with the Egyptian Nile Pharmaceutical Products Company. "The capacity of the line will be one million packs per month. The current status of the disease in Egypt does not require any additional precautionary measures," said Shahin. Phase six is followed by two other stages, the post-peak and post-pandemic period. The post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing; however, says El-Sa'edy, "it is uncertain if additional waves will occur and countries will need to be prepared for a second wave". The post-pandemic phase is when influenza activity returns to normal, seasonal levels, at which stage governments will be expected to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly.
