CAIRO: The Egyptian health ministry reported on Sunday a further two new deaths as a result of the H1N1 virus, or Swine flu, bringing the official total of dead in the country from the virus to 86. The ministry said that the deaths were a woman and a young girl from the Gharbiyah and Daqahliyah governorates, respectively. The ministry statement said that the 85th death was a 35-year-old woman from Gharbiyah. She had been taken to the ICU in a local hospital after she was suffering from severe respiratory symptoms. The woman was pregnant. The statement also noted that the other death was a one-year-old child from Daqahliyah. She was suffering from severe respiratory symptoms as well and was in poor condition when she arrived at a local hospital. She was then transferred to the intensive care unit and placed on a respirator, before succumbing to the illness. The ministry also announced the deaths of four other cases on Saturday as a result of the H1N1 virus. Abdel Rahman Shahine, the ministry spokesman, said that the 81st death was a 53-years-old woman from Cairo, who died after suffering severe respiratory problems, including pneumonia and was taken to ICU and placed on a respirator, and that her health condition history indicates that she was suffering from Rheumatism , Diabetes, and high blood pressure. Shaheen said that the 82nd case was a 29-year-old man from the capital, who was suffering from H1N1 and had chronic asthma, diabetes and was obese, while the 83rd case was a 34-year-old man from Alexandria and the 84th was a 54-year-old man from Cairo. His medical record showed that he suffered a stroke. The official spokesman told Al Dostoor newspaper that Switzerland has apologized for the sale of their surplus of vaccine against swine flu to Egypt, in its response to the request of Minister Hatem Al Gabali for the purchase of their surplus vaccines after the vaccination of all its citizens, adding that negotiations are continuing with the French Government to purchase its surplus of vaccines, in an attempt to buy as much as possible to vaccinate the largest number of Egyptians in order to prevent the spread of the disease internally, noting that the ministry seeks to buy 150,000 doses from France. To date, Egypt has reported over 4,000 cases of the Swine flu, making it one of the worst affected nations in the Middle East and North Africa. BM
