April 29, 2009
WHO says Egypt well-equipped to deal with swine flu
Egypt's experience in dealing with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has prepared it to handle the threat of swine flu, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday (April 28).
"Because you have avian flu, your surveillance system is much more alert and doctors seeing patients will keep it in mind," Hussein Gezairy, WHO's regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, told reporters.
The experience with bird flu means that "doctors can easily identify swine influenza," he said.
Twenty-six people have died from bird influenza in Egypt where poultry is traditionally raised on rooftops, often in close proximity to young children, particularly in rural areas.
An Israeli man who recently returned from Mexico was on Tuesday confirmed to have contracted the potentially deadly swine flu. So far it is the only confirmed case in the eastern Mediterranean region, which covers 22 countries from Morocco and Pakistan.
Hassan el-Bushra, WHO's regional advisor for emerging diseases, said there is a regional stockpile in Dubai of 3 million anti-viral drug capsules to treat 300,000 cases, in addition to each country's own stocks.
He said no travel restrictions had yet been imposed in the region.
John Jabbour, WHO's regional international health regulation officer, said non-pharmaceutical interventions were needed until a vaccine is developed - something which could take four to six months.
