CAIRO: A young woman recently infected with the H1N1 virus has died, according to a statement made by Dr. Hatem El-Gabali, the Minister of Health, yesterday. Her death brings the total number who have succumbed to the virus in Egypt to 6. Out of those 6, five of the deaths have been women. The latest victim was a 23-year-old woman from Giza, who was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus on October 28, and who passed away in a local hospital yesterday morning. The incident comes only a day after a 9-year-old schoolboy died from the disease in Helwan, south of Cairo. Two days before the young boy died, another Egyptian woman was reported to have died from the H1N1 virus in Ismailia. Egypt had only three deaths from the virus, which first reared its presence in the country last June. The total number of Swine flu cases in Egypt have now passed well over 1000, but as yet, the death toll has been comparatively low. In the UK, for example, 137 people have died from the disease, while in neighboring Israel there have been 39 victims. News of Egypt's sixth victim comes as the ministry announced the arrival of 70,000 vaccines against the virus, which leaders are hoping to distribute to pilgrims traveling to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage at the end of November. Officials are hoping that by vaccinating pilgrims, they will avoid a fresh outbreak of the disease, which could be calamitous as around three million people converge in Mecca. The major concern for the Egyptian government is that pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia having contracted the virus and spreading it among local communities. (see also “AUC closes classroom after Swine flu scare”) The first reported death last summer was a woman who allegedly contracted the virus after her husband had returned home from Saudi after conducting the “lesser” pilgrimage, or Omrah. In September, the Egyptian government postponed the beginning of the school year in response to worries that the H1N1 virus would spread rapidly with schools being open. When schools opened again in October, parents were fearful for their children, but no major outbreak has occurred. (see also “Education in a time of Swine flu”) Arab health ministers met last summer after the initial outbreak have attempted to establish restrictions on those traveling to Saudi Arabia, including banning young children and the elderly from taking part in the annual pilgrimage, much to the outrage of Muslims globally. BM
