Gulf | Bahrain
Swine flu in Bahrain prompts deeper concerns
Bahrain's current caseload of swine flu has stood at 14 after three people suspected of carrying the virus tested negative on Thursday evening.
- By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief
- Published: 08:00 June 20, 2009
-
H1N1 patients in stable condition
H1N1 patients in stable condition
-
Interactive: H1N1 do's and dont's
A WHO guideline to help prevent the spread of swine flu virus
-
Two new cases of H1N1 detected in UAE
Two new cases of H1N1 detected in the UAE, says Ministry of Health
-
McDonald's denies H1N1 rumours
Fast food chain denies Dubai branch closure over H1N1
-
Students asked to notify authorities
Students asked to notify authorities
-
Health specialists debate if flu panic is justified
Health specialists debate if flu panic is justified
-
H1N1 feared among Makkah pilgrims
H1N1 outbreak feared among Makkah pilgrims
Manama: Bahrain's current caseload of swine flu has stood at 14 after three people suspected of carrying the virus tested negative on Thursday evening.
Video: Worried about swine flu?
Interactive: H1N1 do's and don'ts
However, health ministry public health and primary care assistant undersecretary Dr Mariam Al Jalahma said that the health authorities would keep a tight vigil, explaining that “as long as people travel, we should expect to see more cases.''
All the people who underwent the tests had arrived in Bahrain from trips abroad. The first confirmed case was a student landing from the States, followed by a group of teenage students returning home from an exchange programme to the US. A woman and her eight-year-old daughter, who had travelled with the group from the US to Bahrain via Kuwait, were also treated for the flu.
Confirmed case patients are being treated at the Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Community Health Centre, where Batelco, a local telecommunication provider, installed wireless internet and games to help them break their social isolation and communicate with the rest of the world.
However, Bahrain's main concern is the increase of cases with thousands of Bahrainis living or studying abroad expected to come home for the summer holidays. The worries are compounded by the fact that a high number of people are planning to use their school vacation or holidays to make trips to Makkah where they will inevitably have close contacts with thousands of Muslims coming from different countries to perform Umrah and, at a later stage, pilgrimage.
Several people have called for a collective decision on whether to allow people to go to Makkah to perform Umrah, saying that the risks of contamination were high.
However, Shaikh Adnan Al Qattan, the head of the official pilgrimage delegation, said that such a decision could be made only by competent experts in Islamic jurisprudence.
“A decision to cancel the pilgrimage for this year can be made only the Organisation of Islamic Conference or a similar high body. It cannot be a matter for speculation and personal interpretations,'' he said.
In Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Al Shaikh, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti, said the concerns over exposure to swine flu at the pilgrimage were exaggerated.
Abdul Mohsen Al Ubaikan, a senior Saudi religious scholar and a member of the Consultative Council, rejected calls to impose a travel ban for the pilgrimage because of the scare over the swine flu and the threat of an outbreak among around two million Muslims expected to arrive from around the world in October and November.
Saudi health authorities on Thursday said that the H1N1 tally rose to 29 after three adults and four children tested positive for swine flu. The list includes two girls aged eight and nine. However, no death linked to the swine flu has been reported in the Saudi kingdom.
Share this article
Related Articles
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Reader helps police to bust brothel
More than 20 gang members recently arrested from running brothels in Dubai
-
Philippine areas under emergency rule
Toll rises to 46 in brutal kidnap and murder in the south
-
Obama seeks to reassure Singh on ties
Singh is on elaborate state visit that will include talks on US ties with Pakistan
