MOH News

MOH confirms 2000 swine flu cases
19 August 2009
MOH has revealed that the total number of cases confirmed at MOH labs has reached 2000, with a recovery percentage of 95% and 14 death cases, most of them suffering underlying chronic diseases, said MOH spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Marghalani.
 
He said the disease is spreading fast all over the world as stated by the World Health Organization, but its severity is still moderate. He attributed the high number of cases to the strict measures followed in detecting the cases and transparency in declaring all confirmed figures.
 
MOH Assistant Deputy Minister Dr. Ziad Meemish said in a press conference held at the MOH premises that MOH is strictly applying the National Plan for Preventing Swine Flu. He said all health facilities at the other health sectors also apply the recommendations of the National Plan while dealing with the cases.
 
According to Dr. Meemish, Saudi Arabia will obtain the disease vaccine as soon as it reaches the markets in order to be able to meet the requirements of handling the epidemic during Omrah and Haj season, which is soon to start. He said MOH has set a plan for protecting health workers since the appearance of the first case of the disease.
MOH Spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Marghalani urged all citizens and residents to abide by the measures adopted by MOH for controlling the disease. "Abiding by the ethics of personal cleanliness is the way for each individual to protect himself", he said. "MOH is exerting great efforts in enlightening the public and applying the procedures formulated for protecting health workers, flu patients, and their companions".
 
He said the relatively high number of swine flu cases in the Kingdom is attributed to transparency within MOH in announcing all confirmed cases as well as the strict measures followed in detecting and handling the cases.
 
The members of the National Committee for Preventing Infectious Diseases have expected the number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to increase in the future in line with its spreading around the world. They based their expectation on the fact that the Kingdom is not isolated from the outside world, since it is receiving people from all over the world and its citizens are traveling to the different countries. They said the rate of spreading of the current epidemic in the USA and parts of Europe is 70%, which is expected to increase to 90% in the coming winter. The spreading rate in the Kingdom is expected to reach a range varying between 20 and 25%.   



Last Update : 12 April 2011 09:52 PM
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