CAIRO: Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif extended the four-day Eid El-Adha vacation to 10 days for all schools and universities as a preventive measure against the global swine flu pandemic. The vacation will begin on Nov. 26 and last until Dec. 5 in an attempt to stem the exponential spread of the virus at educational institutions, announced Cabinet spokesman Magdy Rady. Egypt has reported 1,644 H1N1 cases so far, but last the weekend, it saw the highest number of new cases with 72 reported on Friday, including 52 in schools. On Saturday 98 new cases were reported, including 60 cases from schools, according to the Information and Decision Support Center. Fifty-two new cases were announced on Sunday, 33 of which are school students. A total of nine schools and 46 classrooms nation-wide were shut down for 15 days due to the large number of reported cases. Two new cases were detected in universities and 17 new cases are from outside schools and universities, all of whom are Egyptians but include one from China and one from the Ukraine. According to the health ministry, all cases are in stable condition and are receiving treatment. To date, 1,522 have been cured, while 117 are receiving treatment in hospitals.
