The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the H1N1 (known as swine flu) pandemic might remain dangerous for several years before becoming a normal seasonal influenza. Meanwhile, some virologists at the WHO said there is always the risk that this virus might merge with others or turn into something resistant to the current treatments. If this happened, they warned thousands of lives might be lost. The Cairo-based WHO Middle East regional office said that the total number of laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases has risen to 261 in the region, but no death has occurred. These cases have been reported to the WHO regional office in Cairo by 15 countries in the region, including Egypt. On the other hand, Dr. Hatem el-Gabaly, the Minister of Health, has decided to devote 27 hospitals nationwide to bird flu cases and 99 to swine flu cases. This decision is due to health officials' growing concerns that the H1N1 virus could merge with the H5N1, which causes bird flu, or with other viruses. They also fear that this new flu could be passed by one patient on to another or through nurses. In Cairo, the Sadr Hospital in Abbasiyah and Manshiat el-Bakry Hospital have been devoted to treating bird flu cases, while the fever hospital in Abbasiya and the fever hospital in Imbaba have been devoted to dealing with swine flu cases.
