28 April 2009
KUWAIT: The Health Ministry affirmed yesterday that Kuwait is free of the swine flu virus. The statement came during the regular weekly session of the Cabinet, during which the Acting Health Minister Dr Moudhi Al-Humoud and the Assistant of Public Health Dr Ali Al-Seif briefed executives about measures that had been taken in the face of the outbreak of the deadly flu.
The two officials, in their address to the ministers, affirmed that no cases were discovered in the country. Strict precautions have been enforced at border checkpoints to protect the people of the country against any possible spillover of the disease. Authorities have also secured necessary medications and drugs to deal with any possible case in the future, and urged people to abide by guidelines set by the ministry to combat the disease.
Separately, Kuwait is ready in case the current outbreak of the new strain of swine flu reaches the country, said Dr Khalid Al-Hasawi, Deputy Director General of the Infectious Disease Hospital. The outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has already killed 149 people there according to official figures.
We are ready in case the virus enters Kuwait. We also have vaccines," he told Kuwait Times, mentioning the Tamiflu vaccine, but admitted that there is no specific vaccine available yet for the new strain of influenza. "But my prediction is that Kuwait is unlikely to contract the swine flu virus. We have been spared the bird flu virus which is carried by birds; the swine flu virus is perhaps unlikely since we are a pig-free country," Hasawi said.
He pointed out that the swine flu virus is carried by pigs, and that Kuwait and neighboring countries are Islamic countries which have banned pig farms. "We are unlikely to have an outbreak since we don't have pig farms here. We don't have pig products and the distance [of the countries with the virus] is miles away from Kuwait," he stressed.
Although Kuwait has yet to impose any quarantine on anyone entering Kuwait through its airports, seaports and land ports, according to Hasawi such measures would be imposed the moment the World Health Organization (WHO) advises the country's medical authorities to do so.
We are closely coordinating with the WHO. As of today we've only received a memo about the virus a kind of health alert but we interpret it not as an urgent call but as a health advisory. Nonetheless we are monitoring the situation in this region very closely. We have seen reports from all over the world and yes, it can spread anywhere since the virus can now be transferred by human to human. We knew the virus can be transferred from pig to human only, but now, it is more dangerous as there have been cases of human-to-human transfer," Hasawi said.
He advised travelers to avoid entering countries infected with the swine flu virus. "Such a virus is dangerous as reported by WHO. We haven't encountered it yet here, so we cannot confirm how dangerous it is, but we are in close contact with the WHO and we rely on their reports on that matter," he explained.
In yesterday's report, the World Health Organization admitted that no vaccine is yet available to treat the new strain of the flu virus, but authorities in Mexico and the United States are recommending use of the anti-viral medications Oseltamivir or Zanamivir for treatment of and prevention against the disease.
The WHO defines 'swine flu' as a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect contact and asymptomatic carrier pigs. Swine influenza viruses are commonly of the H1N1 subtype but there are other types such as H1N2, H3N1 and H3N2. Pigs can also be infected with avian flu viruses and human seasonal viruses, as well as swine influenza viruses.
The Public Authority of Agriculture and Fish Resources said yesterday it has taken measures to prevent the spread of swine flu virus in the country. The authority added that it was in contact with WHO and affiliate international and regional organizations for updates on the issue. The public authority in cooperation with Gulf countries and other neighboring countries' concerned bodies are looking for ways to prevent and counter the spread of swine flu, it said.
Meanwhile, the European Union health commissioner yesterday urged Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to parts of the United States and Mexico affected by the swine flu, and holiday tour operators from Germany and Japan suspended trips to Mexico or its capital city. Spain became the first nation outside North America to confirm a case of swine flu yesterday, and Scotland's health secretary announced that tests "conclusively" confirmed two cases there in people recently returned from Mexico. The World Health Organization expressed alarm about the disease's rapid spread and airline stocks sank on fears of a sharp drop in travel.
The number of confirmed swine flu cases worldwide rose to 73, WHO announced, saying it was "very concerned" and could decide within hours whether to raise its pandemic alert level. It said cases in the United States had doubled to 40. Mexico had by far the most suspected swine flu cases - 1,614, including as many as 149 deaths - while Canada has six confirmed cases.
Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said visitors returning from flu-affected areas with fevers would be quarantined, while countries from New Zealand to Israel quickly instituted new security measures at airports and put sick travelers under observation. Worried that the deadly outbreak could derail the global economy, investors sold airline and hotel stocks. Travel agents scrambled to cancel their clients' Mexican vacations and switch them elsewhere. Russian agencies said 30 percent of those planning to travel to Mexico in early May had already canceled.
Many airlines, including American, United, Continental, US Airways, Mexicana and Air Canada, were waiving usual penalties for changing reservations for anyone traveling to, from, or through Mexico. EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou toned down her earlier recommendation to avoid all nonessential travel to North America. "I meant a travel advisory, not a travel ban, for travel to Mexico City and those states in the United States where we have outbreaks" of swine flu, the commissioner said.
US President Barack Obama said yesterday the threat of spreading swine flu infections was cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm," as the United States stepped up border monitoring. At Germany's bustling Frankfurt Airport, people suspected of having the disease are being examined before getting off planes, according to the Hesse health minister, Juergen Banzer.
Germany's leading vacation tour operators were skipping stops to Mexico City as a precaution. The Hannover-based TUI said Monday that trips through May 4 to the Mexican capital were being suspended, including those operated by TUI itself and also through companies 1-2 Fly, Airtours, Berge & Meer, Grebeco and L'tur. TUI said it does not operate directly to Mexico City. Japan's largest tour agency, JTB Corp., suspended tours to Mexico at least through June 30.
New Zealand was testing 13 students, parents and teachers who were showing flu-like symptoms after returning from Mexico. Britain, Israel, France, Switzerland and Sweden were also testing suspects. WHO spokesman Paul Garwood said the organization has seen an increased number of confirmed cases in several countries. "WHO is very concerned about the number of cases that are appearing, and the fact that more and more cases are appearing in different countries," he told The Associated Press in Geneva.
If the World Health Organization raises its pandemic alert level to 4 or 5, from the current 3, that signals the swine flu virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading between humans. An alert level of 3 means there is an animal virus that occasionally causes human cases but doesn't spread well between people.
A raised alert could prompt WHO to issue travel advisories, warning against travel to regions battling outbreaks. Trade could be restricted, sports events and concerts could be canceled and borders could be closed. Health officials insist it was safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork, but China, Russia and Ukraine banned imports of pork and pork products from Mexico and the three US states which have reported cases of swine flu. Azerbaijan banned all livestock products from all of North America. Spain's case of swine flu involved a university student who fell ill after returning from Mexico.
Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said another 20 sick people in Spain were under observation to determine if they have the disease, but she said none were in serious condition. The student, from Almansa in the central Castilla-La Mancha region, checked in to a clinic Saturday complaining of fever and respiratory problems and was hospitalized. At Madrid's Barajas International Airport, passengers arriving from Mexico on Monday had to fill out forms detailing where they had been, whether they had felt any cold symptoms and leave a contact address and phone number.
Where we were (in Mexico), there was no real alarm but we followed what was happening on the news and we're a little bit worried," said Spaniard Filomeno Ruiz, just back from a week's holiday in Cancun. Passengers were also given leaflets urging them to contact local health authorities if they noticed any symptoms in the next 10 days.
In the airport's baggage arrival area, ground crews and police wore blue or white surgical-type face masks. Some travelers took precautions even though they had not been to Mexico. "Nobody has recommended it, but I've put the mask on out of precaution," said Briton Roger Holmes, who was traveling to Tunisia from Madrid. "I'm not afraid but it costs nothing to be careful.
Governments in Asia leapt into action, scarred by potent memories of SARS and bird flu outbreaks. Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines dusted off thermal scanners used during the 2003 SARS crisis and were checking for signs of fever among passengers arriving at airports from North America. South Korea and Indonesia introduced similar screening. In Malaysia, health workers wearing face masks took the temperatures of passengers at the airport as they arrived from Los Angeles.
All the suspected New Zealand students and teachers along with their families voluntarily quarantined themselves at home and those with flu symptoms were being treated with Tamiflu as a precaution. Swiss drug company Roche Holding AG said it could deliver 5 million packages of Tamiflu anywhere in the world within 24 hours. Those WHO-controlled stockpiles are in addition to millions more treatments held by up to 90 governments. (Material from agencies used in this report)
KUWAIT: The Health Ministry affirmed yesterday that Kuwait is free of the swine flu virus. The statement came during the regular weekly session of the Cabinet, during which the Acting Health Minister Dr Moudhi Al-Humoud and the Assistant of Public Health Dr Ali Al-Seif briefed executives about measures that had been taken in the face of the outbreak of the deadly flu.
The two officials, in their address to the ministers, affirmed that no cases were discovered in the country. Strict precautions have been enforced at border checkpoints to protect the people of the country against any possible spillover of the disease. Authorities have also secured necessary medications and drugs to deal with any possible case in the future, and urged people to abide by guidelines set by the ministry to combat the disease.
Separately, Kuwait is ready in case the current outbreak of the new strain of swine flu reaches the country, said Dr Khalid Al-Hasawi, Deputy Director General of the Infectious Disease Hospital. The outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has already killed 149 people there according to official figures.
We are ready in case the virus enters Kuwait. We also have vaccines," he told Kuwait Times, mentioning the Tamiflu vaccine, but admitted that there is no specific vaccine available yet for the new strain of influenza. "But my prediction is that Kuwait is unlikely to contract the swine flu virus. We have been spared the bird flu virus which is carried by birds; the swine flu virus is perhaps unlikely since we are a pig-free country," Hasawi said.
He pointed out that the swine flu virus is carried by pigs, and that Kuwait and neighboring countries are Islamic countries which have banned pig farms. "We are unlikely to have an outbreak since we don't have pig farms here. We don't have pig products and the distance [of the countries with the virus] is miles away from Kuwait," he stressed.
Although Kuwait has yet to impose any quarantine on anyone entering Kuwait through its airports, seaports and land ports, according to Hasawi such measures would be imposed the moment the World Health Organization (WHO) advises the country's medical authorities to do so.
We are closely coordinating with the WHO. As of today we've only received a memo about the virus a kind of health alert but we interpret it not as an urgent call but as a health advisory. Nonetheless we are monitoring the situation in this region very closely. We have seen reports from all over the world and yes, it can spread anywhere since the virus can now be transferred by human to human. We knew the virus can be transferred from pig to human only, but now, it is more dangerous as there have been cases of human-to-human transfer," Hasawi said.
He advised travelers to avoid entering countries infected with the swine flu virus. "Such a virus is dangerous as reported by WHO. We haven't encountered it yet here, so we cannot confirm how dangerous it is, but we are in close contact with the WHO and we rely on their reports on that matter," he explained.
In yesterday's report, the World Health Organization admitted that no vaccine is yet available to treat the new strain of the flu virus, but authorities in Mexico and the United States are recommending use of the anti-viral medications Oseltamivir or Zanamivir for treatment of and prevention against the disease.
The WHO defines 'swine flu' as a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect contact and asymptomatic carrier pigs. Swine influenza viruses are commonly of the H1N1 subtype but there are other types such as H1N2, H3N1 and H3N2. Pigs can also be infected with avian flu viruses and human seasonal viruses, as well as swine influenza viruses.
The Public Authority of Agriculture and Fish Resources said yesterday it has taken measures to prevent the spread of swine flu virus in the country. The authority added that it was in contact with WHO and affiliate international and regional organizations for updates on the issue. The public authority in cooperation with Gulf countries and other neighboring countries' concerned bodies are looking for ways to prevent and counter the spread of swine flu, it said.
Meanwhile, the European Union health commissioner yesterday urged Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to parts of the United States and Mexico affected by the swine flu, and holiday tour operators from Germany and Japan suspended trips to Mexico or its capital city. Spain became the first nation outside North America to confirm a case of swine flu yesterday, and Scotland's health secretary announced that tests "conclusively" confirmed two cases there in people recently returned from Mexico. The World Health Organization expressed alarm about the disease's rapid spread and airline stocks sank on fears of a sharp drop in travel.
The number of confirmed swine flu cases worldwide rose to 73, WHO announced, saying it was "very concerned" and could decide within hours whether to raise its pandemic alert level. It said cases in the United States had doubled to 40. Mexico had by far the most suspected swine flu cases - 1,614, including as many as 149 deaths - while Canada has six confirmed cases.
Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said visitors returning from flu-affected areas with fevers would be quarantined, while countries from New Zealand to Israel quickly instituted new security measures at airports and put sick travelers under observation. Worried that the deadly outbreak could derail the global economy, investors sold airline and hotel stocks. Travel agents scrambled to cancel their clients' Mexican vacations and switch them elsewhere. Russian agencies said 30 percent of those planning to travel to Mexico in early May had already canceled.
Many airlines, including American, United, Continental, US Airways, Mexicana and Air Canada, were waiving usual penalties for changing reservations for anyone traveling to, from, or through Mexico. EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou toned down her earlier recommendation to avoid all nonessential travel to North America. "I meant a travel advisory, not a travel ban, for travel to Mexico City and those states in the United States where we have outbreaks" of swine flu, the commissioner said.
US President Barack Obama said yesterday the threat of spreading swine flu infections was cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm," as the United States stepped up border monitoring. At Germany's bustling Frankfurt Airport, people suspected of having the disease are being examined before getting off planes, according to the Hesse health minister, Juergen Banzer.
Germany's leading vacation tour operators were skipping stops to Mexico City as a precaution. The Hannover-based TUI said Monday that trips through May 4 to the Mexican capital were being suspended, including those operated by TUI itself and also through companies 1-2 Fly, Airtours, Berge & Meer, Grebeco and L'tur. TUI said it does not operate directly to Mexico City. Japan's largest tour agency, JTB Corp., suspended tours to Mexico at least through June 30.
New Zealand was testing 13 students, parents and teachers who were showing flu-like symptoms after returning from Mexico. Britain, Israel, France, Switzerland and Sweden were also testing suspects. WHO spokesman Paul Garwood said the organization has seen an increased number of confirmed cases in several countries. "WHO is very concerned about the number of cases that are appearing, and the fact that more and more cases are appearing in different countries," he told The Associated Press in Geneva.
If the World Health Organization raises its pandemic alert level to 4 or 5, from the current 3, that signals the swine flu virus is becoming increasingly adept at spreading between humans. An alert level of 3 means there is an animal virus that occasionally causes human cases but doesn't spread well between people.
A raised alert could prompt WHO to issue travel advisories, warning against travel to regions battling outbreaks. Trade could be restricted, sports events and concerts could be canceled and borders could be closed. Health officials insist it was safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork, but China, Russia and Ukraine banned imports of pork and pork products from Mexico and the three US states which have reported cases of swine flu. Azerbaijan banned all livestock products from all of North America. Spain's case of swine flu involved a university student who fell ill after returning from Mexico.
Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said another 20 sick people in Spain were under observation to determine if they have the disease, but she said none were in serious condition. The student, from Almansa in the central Castilla-La Mancha region, checked in to a clinic Saturday complaining of fever and respiratory problems and was hospitalized. At Madrid's Barajas International Airport, passengers arriving from Mexico on Monday had to fill out forms detailing where they had been, whether they had felt any cold symptoms and leave a contact address and phone number.
Where we were (in Mexico), there was no real alarm but we followed what was happening on the news and we're a little bit worried," said Spaniard Filomeno Ruiz, just back from a week's holiday in Cancun. Passengers were also given leaflets urging them to contact local health authorities if they noticed any symptoms in the next 10 days.
In the airport's baggage arrival area, ground crews and police wore blue or white surgical-type face masks. Some travelers took precautions even though they had not been to Mexico. "Nobody has recommended it, but I've put the mask on out of precaution," said Briton Roger Holmes, who was traveling to Tunisia from Madrid. "I'm not afraid but it costs nothing to be careful.
Governments in Asia leapt into action, scarred by potent memories of SARS and bird flu outbreaks. Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines dusted off thermal scanners used during the 2003 SARS crisis and were checking for signs of fever among passengers arriving at airports from North America. South Korea and Indonesia introduced similar screening. In Malaysia, health workers wearing face masks took the temperatures of passengers at the airport as they arrived from Los Angeles.
All the suspected New Zealand students and teachers along with their families voluntarily quarantined themselves at home and those with flu symptoms were being treated with Tamiflu as a precaution. Swiss drug company Roche Holding AG said it could deliver 5 million packages of Tamiflu anywhere in the world within 24 hours. Those WHO-controlled stockpiles are in addition to millions more treatments held by up to 90 governments. (Material from agencies used in this report)
By Ben Garcia
© Kuwait Times 2009
