The Ministry of Health announced yesterday the discovery of two infected H1N1 flu cases, known as swine flu, thus increasing the number of people infected in Egypt to 74 cases. Dr Abdul Rahman Shahin, spokesman for the ministry, said that case No.73 was an Egyptian girl, 6 years-old. She was accompanied by her family who arrived from Britain on June 30, and has since been detained in the Shrakia Fever Hospital, whilst being given the appropriate treatment. The other case is a student from Chile, aged 23, who arrived to the airport on July 2. She was transferred to Abbasiyah Fevers Hospital, and given appropriate treatment. Furthmore, the spokesman stressed that the total number of cases of recovery from the disease in Egypt amounted to 58 cases, thus leaving 16 cases in hospitals all in good health. On the other hand, Dr. Hatem el-Gabali, Minister of Health, presented the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, an Egyptian proposal for the warning of the swine flu pandemic based on measuring the intensity and ferocity of the epidemic, not only in terms of geographical spread as is dependent upon the organization. The minister presented his proposal on the sidelines of his participation in the international meeting on the swine flu, Mexico, on July 2 to July 3.
For her part, Margaret Chan announced that the WHO will provide a grant of $1.5 million to the Holding Company for Vaccines Vaxera for the production of swine flu vaccine, and the transfer of needed technology. In addition, the organization will, in coordination with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, mobilize all of the necessary financial resources for the provision of vaccines for developing countries.
