Saudi Arabia Reports First Case of Swine Flu
By VOA News
03 June 2009
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have confirmed the country's first case of the A-H1N1 swine flu virus.
Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah told Saudi news media on Wednesday a Filipina nurse arrived in the country Friday aboard a flight from the Philippines. He said the nurse began showing symptoms of the virus Monday and later tested positive.
The health minister says the nurse has been quarantined and that authorities are trying to contact those on her flight, as well as others who may have come in close contact with her.
The World Health Organization recently put the global death toll from the flu strain to 117. The figure does not include a man in Chile who reportedly died from the virus on Tuesday.
The WHO also said it is closer to declaring the swine flu outbreak a pandemic as the infection appears to be taking hold outside North America.
WHO officials said Tuesday a number of countries appear to be making the transition from travel-related cases to sustained patterns of infection in local communities.
WHO has said previously it needs to see clear evidence of sustained community transmission of the virus from person to person in at least two regions of the world before it raises its alert to the Phase six pandemic stage.
The alert level is currently at Phase 5. The organization says 64 countries have officially reported nearly 19,000 flu cases. Fukuda has said a pandemic has nothing to do with the severity of the disease, but rather with its geographic spread.
Most of the swine flu cases have been reported in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Mexico has had the most swine flu deaths and is now reporting 103 fatalities.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters
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