11 July 2009

BEIRUT: The number of diagnosed cases in Lebanon of A(H1N1), otherwise known as swine flu, has risen to 60, the Health MinistryHealth Ministry said Friday. Forty-two of the patients contracted the virus in Australia, the US and Canada, according to a ministry statement. There were also 12 local transmissions of the virus among Lebanese who had contact with the swine flu patients.

Stringent measures implemented by local health officials had prevented swine flu from spreading further or affecting the economy, the ministry said. All those returning from abroad with the virus are examined and receive immediate treatment, with medication also being given to all passengers who have come into contact with the patient.

"We were careful to follow up on measures until schools and exams are over, which usually provide a suitable environment for the spread of the virus," the statement said.

"These cases are close to a common cold in terms of risks and therefore there is nothing to worry about."

Those who have contracted swine flu are mostly males under the age of 20, the ministry said. All of Lebanon's swine flu patients have received medical treatment but most did not require hospitalization and there have been no complications. No deaths from the deadly flu strain have yet been reported in the country. The Health MinistryHealth Ministry said it will begin issuing weekly bulletins to keep the public up-to-date on the virus.

In June, the ministry said the number of swine flu patients in Lebanon would rise as tourists and Lebanese expatriates arrived for the summer holidays. The Lebanese authorities have installed thermal sensors at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport to screen travelers for abnormally high body temperatures, which is a symptom of the virus.

Lebanon imposed a ban on pork imports in late April hoping to thwart the virus, although swine flu cannot in fact be transmitted through eating pork-derived products. Beirut followed up by creating a cross-ministry, national emergency committee to combat a potential national flu pandemic.

The first three cases of swine flu in Lebanon were discovered on June 1. A(H1N1) has killed 429 people and infected over 94,512 since the epidemic first broke out in North America late March this year, the World Health Organization said in its latest update on July 6. The organization has declared the virus an international pandemic.

 

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