Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Egyptian authorities have banned the sale of tours to the pilgrimage because of the influenza A/H1N1


© REUTERS 12/08/2009
CAIRO, August 12 - RIA Novosti, Margarita Kislova.
The Egyptian government on Wednesday decided to ban the sale and booking of tours to Saudi Arabia to commit umry (small pilgrimage), in connection with the rapid growth in the number of infected influenza virus A/H1N1, which is now 402 cases, agency MENA reported.

This decision is valid from August 11 until further notice of Government.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Egypt, on Wednesday met for an emergency meeting on the spread of influenza A/H1N1, and the threat of mutation of the virus and its mating with the avian influenza H5N1, which represents a particular threat to Egypt as the country has become the most affected by H5N1 in the continent.

Since August 11, tightened the conditions for the departure of pilgrims who bought earlier rounds. Thus, the minimum age for leaving must be 25 years old (not 12 as was found earlier), the maximum age of the pilgrims should not exceed 65 years. In addition, each coming to Saudi Arabia must have a health certificate certifying that the holder did not suffer severe or chronic illnesses. Also banned will die out in pregnant women.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health is concerned that the crossing of A/H1N1 and H5N1 may occur in the Hajj season, because at that time a large number of people living in rural areas (as it is here particularly high rate of incidence of avian influenza virus), go for pilgrimage. According to the Health Ministry, to date, 402 patients of influenza A/H1N1, 80 infected arrived from Saudi Arabia.

The Egyptian Government also decided to increase the level of sanitary controls at airports, seaports and ground-based CPR, so that all, without exception, arriving in Egypt from abroad, Egyptians and foreigners to undergo medical examination by a special technique.

World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 June for the first time in more than 40 years, officially announced the introduction of the maximum level of the threat of a pandemic due to the rapid spread of global influenza A/H1N1. In late July, Egypt has passed an emergency meeting of Arab Ministers of Health under the auspices of WHO, which decided to reduce in 2009 the number of pilgrims to Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina.

In Egypt, from the dangerous virus has died, one woman. In Saudi Arabia, from the flu, nine people have died already.

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