AMMAN -- The Ministry of Health has sufficient quantities of Tamiflu, the anti-viral medicine prescribed for the treatment of H1N1, according to a senior health official.
Minister of Health Mahmoud Sheyyab on Tuesday underlined the ministry's "full" preparedness to deal with any new H1N1 cases, noting that 19 hospitals across the Kingdom have been designated to receive suspected cases of swine flu.
Earlier this week, the minister announced that a new H1N1 case was detected in the Kingdom after a women in her fifties was diagnosed with the flu.
"The lady is still receiving treatment at a private hospital," Sheyyab told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday, stressing that several suspected swine flu cases were registered this week.
"But we are still not sure if these patients will be diagnosed with H1N1... we will keep in contact with the media if the ministry detects any new case," he indicated.
The minister highlighted that the return of the swine flu epidemic is "something the ministry expected in winter".
"Health authorities are dealing with the possibility of the return of the H1N1 as a seasonal occurrence," Sheyyab noted.
According to the ministry, the total number of H1N1 cases registered in the Kingdom since the first case was recorded in June 2009 stands at 3,049, while the total number of swine flu-related deaths in Jordan is 16.
Over 45,000 people have been inoculated against the H1N1 virus since November 2009.
Sheyyab pointed out that the ministry is in contact with the World Health Organisation over the development.
© Jordan Times 2010
