CAIRO: Egypt's first batch of the H1N1 vaccine is expected to arrive within days, according to the latest official statement by a ministry of health spokesman. According to a Health Ministry press release issued last week, Hajj pilgrims will be the first be given the vaccine, followed by physicians working with H1N1 patients, public transportations employees and then schoolchildren with health problems. In a related note, Kamal Sabra, deputy minister of health announced in a press statement that Tamiflu, the drug used to treat the H1N1 virus and bird flu is valid for up to seven years before it expire. As a precautionary measure against the H1N1 flu, the Ministry of Education started broadcasting school curricula on the ministry's official website: www.moe.gov.eg . On Saturday, 12 educational channels, six satellite channels and six local ones also aired educational programs for various school years. Although the Minister of Education Youssry Al-Gamal, assured in a local TV interview Saturday evening that educational TV channels and online services can "effectively substitute for school, some students who were interviewed in the same program said that they disagreed with the minister. According to the students, there is no alternative for school. Until press time, the total number of H1N1 cases in Egypt reached 1,070, with six new cases discovered Saturday evening. Out of the six new cases, three are British, one Kuwaiti and two Egyptians. The health ministry reported that the number of recovered cases in Egypt is 1044, while 23 cases remain in hospital.
