CAIRO: Egyptians planning to go on Umrah or Hajj pilgrimages this year will have to undergo medical checkups and be issued medical certificates that indicate that their health condition is fit for travel, Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabaly said. The tests and certificates will cost LE 250-400 in government, educational and private hospitals, he said. At a press conference Monday, the minister said that the measure is part of the effort to contain the spread of swine flu. Doctors who issue a medical certificate to anyone who is not fit to travel will be subject to investigations by legal authorities, and if found guilty, can stand trial in a criminal court, El-Gabaly said. Last week, Arab health ministers agreed to ban certain groups including the elderly and young children, from Umrah and Hajj. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel reported their first deaths from H1N1 last week. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health announced 17 new cases of H1N1 flu in Egypt, raising the country's total to 217. According to the ministry's official statement, 11 of the 17 new cases are Egyptians who either recently arrived here or were related to previously detected cases. The remaining six cases are of different nationalities who also recently arrived to Egypt. The number of recovered cases reached 152, the statement said, adding that the rest of the cases are stable.
