UAE Ministry of Health announces the first case of H1N1 virus in the country

The UAE Ministry of Health announced handling of the first case of H1N1 in the country after laboratorial tests came positive on a male passenger who arrived from Canada.
HE Dr. Hanif Hassan, UAE Minister of Health, said, 'The patient, who arrived to the country on a flight from Canada, is recovering now at a government hospital after he has received a course of treatment. He will remain under observation and treatment for ten days as medically recommended. Passengers who were on the same flight have not developed any H1N1 symptoms'.
Assuring full coordination among all concerned bodies at federal and local levels, HE Dr. Hassan said: 'We are taking all precautionary and preventive measures, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Also, we are fully cooperating and regularly communicating with regional and international organizations to exchange the latest information of H1N1 virus'.
The UAE government earlier formed a technical committee, chaired by the Minister of Health, with representatives from different federal and local health authorities, to coordinate efforts to combat H1N1 virus.
The committee has taken several precautionary and preventive measures including stepping up traveller surveillance and installing thermal imaging cameras at all airports across the country to screen passengers. Also, the Ministry of Health has obtained the strategic amount of Tamiflu anti-viral medicine (more than five million doses).
'For the latest news on H1N1, the Ministry of Health has launched a daily newsletter on its website: www.moh.gov.ae. The newsletter provides up-to-date information on H1N1 virus and on the precautionary measures taken by different concerned bodies in the country,' the minister pointed out.– Emirates News Agency, WAM