Kuwait records 6th swine flu death

"Now, another one on 6th."

September 14, 2009
KUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Hilal Al-Sayer announced the sixth H1N1 (swine flu virus) death in Kuwait. The deceased is a Kuwaiti woman in her fifties who was suffering from kidney failure, heart disease and other chronic diseases. She had been hospitalized for five days.

The Ministry of Health will hold regular press conferences every three weeks with the media to keep it updated, officials said. "We will provide the media with the latest news about the H1N1 virus through regular meetings with the media," said Dr Hilal Al-Sayer during the press conference yesterday.

The conference was attended by the Minister of Education and the undersecretaries and assisting undersecretaries from both ministries. The regulations and instructions made by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the closure of schools are not random.

The WHO gave the choice to each country to decide its own regulations of closing its schools according to its local circumstances and in the case that one percent of its population was infected. I assure you that Kuwait will never reach this stage of the disease. It is not true that there are 30 or 40,000 H1N1 infected persons in Kuwait. Kuwait will apply the recommendations of the health, education, and university experts meeting that will be held as well," Al-Sayer further said.

Meanwhile, news spread about the increased price of a vaccine. "I care most about protecting the country from the H1N1 virus and not the price of the vaccine. Also, no vaccine will be imported to the country unless it was approved by the WHO," he pointed out. According to the Minister of Education, Dr Moudhi Al-Humoud, there are three H1N1 infected cases in private schools, of which two were cured already.

The third is now receiving treatment. "About 120 school clinics were divided into the different education areas. There will be 20 clinics in each educational area in cooperation with the Ministry of Health," said Al-Humoud. The Ministry of Education increased it efforts due to the emergency situation of the H1N1 virus.

We must follow procedures to decrease the danger of this disease, including the meetings with the Ministry of Health. Based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Health and the WHO about the danger of this disease on the life of students who are under 5-years-old and who have weak immune systems and the handicapped, the Ministry of Education issued a decision previously to delay the school year for the kindergarten and the schools with special needs in both the private and public sectors, but it has no
t been applied yet.

In addition, awareness instructions were given to the teachers for such situations," Al-Homoud concluded. Regarding the news about the need for two vaccines to cure the H1N1 virus, the spokesman of the Ministry of Health, Faisal Al-Dosary, told the Kuwait Times that it was not true. "Only one vaccine is enough. According to all the research conducted, one vaccine will cover 96 percent of the disease," he stated.

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Cabinet urged to take necessary measures on tackling ‘swine flu’

"Despite the increasing swine flu cases, health officials are not taking things for granted. They continue keeping things in order and improving measures to control swine flu. The private schools union will also discuss important matters regarding prevention working on a proposal to protect students and prevent outbreak of the disease in schools."

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 9: Reform and Development Bloc member MP Dr Jamaan Al-Harbash on Sunday asked the Cabinet to take the necessary precautionary measures to combat swine flu (H1N1 virus). Affirming that 500 or more people have been infected with swine flu in Kuwait, Al-Harbash reiterated his bloc’s proposal to postpone opening of the new academic year to prevent further spread of the virus. “According to international health organizations, the virus might spread at an alarming rate at the beginning of the new academic year. The Ministry of Health (MoH) must immediately take the necessary precautions, such as delaying the opening of the new academic year, which should not be a point of debate among officials at the Ministry of Education (MoE). This step requires careful planning to ensure the safety of our nation,” Al-Harbash opined. Criticizing the Cabinet for its failure to launch additional public awareness campaigns, Al-Harbash argued such campaigns will greatly contribute in trimming down the number of swine flu cases in the country. He asserted the bloc is closely monitoring the Cabinet’s actions, particularly those related to this pandemic.

Agencies add:

The Union of Private Schools is working on a proposal that discusses the prevention of swine flu in foreign private schools in the new semester beginning Aug 20, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting reliable sources. According to the sources, the union will submit this proposal to representatives at the Ministry of Health during a meeting scheduled to be held on Aug 12. The meeting will be attended by owners and principals of private schools, and will discuss the proposal. The sources added if the Ministry approves the proposal, it will be circulated to all schools. The source pointed out the report includes precautionary steps to be taken by school administrations to protect students and prevent an outbreak of the disease. They also said issuing vaccinations in Arab and foreign schools is an important precautionary measure.

Full story on source:

Panel to discuss suspension of classes over ‘swine flu threat’

"Be aware. School children and teenagers are the vulnerable ones."

KUWAIT CITY, July 31: Manager of Epidemic Control Department at the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Rapporteur of the Joint Higher Committee for Swine Flu Control Dr Musab Al-Saleh has revealed the higher and technical committees will discuss in its next meeting a proposal to suspend classes if the number of swine flu cases in the country escalates to an unprecedented level at the start of the new academic year, reports Al-Dar daily. Clarifying the Ministry of Education (MoE) is not ruling out the possibility of suspending classes as the situation is expected to get worse, Al-Saleh stressed the MoH is ready to face any possible outbreak in schools. He said the ministry has tightened measures at the entry points to monitor the health condition of those who will return from their summer holidays abroad, affirming employees assigned at the entry points have been instructed to postpone their holidays. He added the government has allocated a budget of KD 5 million for combating swine flu.

From source:

Kuwait's swine flu numbers rise to 111, teens susceptible

"As you can see, almost all new reported cases of swine flu in Kuwait are from individuals going to and returning from trips abroad. Well, in the heat of the moment let's continue to keep our chin up. Good hygiene measures."

Published Date: July 30, 2009
KUWAIT: Kuwait's health authorities are closely monitoring cases diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, amid warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) that most of those infected worldwide are teenagers, aged between 12 and 17, and that swine flu could spread among school children. The Ministry of Health is working around the clock, especially after the number of cases reported in the country rose to 111, with the global total currently standing at around 80,000, of whom 359 have died, according to the WHO.

Mohsen Burguba, director of the Ministry of Education's (MoE) Public Relations and Media Department, said that the health and education ministries were working closely to take the necessary precautions to safeguard pupils, and are launching an awareness campaign about the nature of the virus and ways of dealing of it before the beginning of the next academic year sees schools reopening.

Full story from source:

WHO EMRO meeting on swine flu crucial - Kuwait acting Hlt. Min.

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"It is right, millions will flock on the Muslim pilgrimage and Umra for their religious duties. The Acting Health Minister of Kuwait made a decisive action and should be taken with utmost importance."

7/22/2009 9:54:00 PM

CAIRO, July 22 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Acting Minister of Health Moudhi Al-Humoud stressed Wednesday the necessity of the emergency meeting of East Mediterranean health ministers while hailing recommendations and solutions set forth aimed at combating the global outspread of the A(H1N1) virus.

Al-Humoud, also Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education, was speaking to KUNA ahead of her departure of Cairo, Egypt, after attending the World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO) meeting. She said that Arab health ministers at the meeting urged the need for a combined awareness campaign on how to avoid swine flu contamination. She added that the meeting was meant to discuss precautionary measures, countries in the region were to take in event of the upcoming seasons of Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) and Umra where hundreds of thousands of Muslims will flock to Makkah, Saudi Arabia to carry out their religious duties.

Al-Humoud expressed hope results of the meeting will benefit people in the region, especially with the coinciding period of the religious season with Autumn when seasonal flu numbers increase significantly. She also praised the efforts of Saudi authorities aimed at tackling the spread of the pandemic. Saudi Arabia's health minister also attended the meeting. The country's western city of Jeddah in June, was host to over 50 health specialists who discussed means to combat and prevent the outspread of the global pandemic.

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