year-old Saudi woman admitted to hospital in Asir on Sept. 26 with A(H1N1) swine flu died from the virus Sunday morning, the Ministry of Health Affairs said. “The patient was given a full dose of the medicine for the virus as well as antibiotics, and all the proper preventive measures were taken for such cases from the moment she was admitted to hospital,” the ministry said. “She did not respond to treatment.” A teenaged boy with swine flu was also admitted to a private hospital in Jeddah in the first week of October. In 2009, the Kingdom reported 124 swine flu deaths. In September, Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabea said that his organization obtained vaccines and drugs at no cost by bartering swine flu vaccine it did not need. He also said the Ministry of Health has also secured medicine at competitive prices through direct imports, which has saved a considerable amount of money. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared the global swine flu pandemic is over, though it is still present and continues to infect people. The WHO recommends that health authorities continue to monitor the progress of the infection cases of the patients and to promote the vaccination of young children and pregnant women. Since Haj is round the corner, observers may recall that last year the Kingdom had advised persons over 65 and under 12, pregnant women and people suffering from terminal illness to postpone their pilgrimage because of the H1N1 pandemic and made it mandatory for all pilgrims to be vaccinated against the disease. Authorities in the Kingdom had also tightened up measures at airports.
