The ministry of health announced two newly swine flu infected cases. This rises the number of swine flu human cases in Egypt up to 69 so far. On the other hand, the fevers hospitals, in 5 governorates, have isolated 14 bird flu suspected cases, where blood samples have been taken from them and sent to the central laboratories. Usama Al-'Ashri, the Undersecretary of State for Tourism and General Director of Tourist Pilgrimage, confirmed that the ministry has no plan for canceling pilgrimage or deferring 'Umrah (minor pilgrimage) this year. He also indicated that the ministry will do that, if only instructed by the concerned Egyptian and Saudi authorities. Internationally, swine flu infected cases in Saudi Arabia have reached 89 cases, after the Saudi Ministry of Health has reported 8 new cases. Meanwhile, the Swiss RUSH group for medications declared that it has released a program for distributing the strong anti virus "Tami Flu" to the developing countries, with law price, if the virus becomes a pandemic. An international workshop, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Health, considered that the spreading rate of the virus during the pilgrimage and 'Umrah seasons is semi-dangerous, although it has advised the elderly people and pregnant ladies to postpone their pilgrimage rituals in order to avoid infection. Yesterday, Dr. 'Abd-al-Rahman Shahin, the Ministry of Health Official Spokesman, declared that 8 cases have been tested with completely negative results, and as a result they have been released from the hospital. He also added that the case no. 68 is a 21 year old Egyptian girl from Alexandria city, who is positively-related to one of the previous cases. The girl, according to Shahin, has been isolated in a hospital in Alexandria. The second case is a 22 year old Egyptian student girl from Al-Sharqiyah governorate, and she has been isolated in a hospital in Cairo.
