Sunday 09 Aug 2009
Iran has decided to cease its flights to Saudi Arabia from August 11 due to a swine flu pandemic in the Arab country, an Iranian aviation official announced on Sunday.
"In order to prevent a pandemic of influenza type A (swine flu), there won't be any flight from Iran to Saudi Arabia in the holy (fasting) month of Ramadan," Spokesman of Iran's Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh told FNA.
Noting that the last flight to Saudi Arabia will be carried out on Monday, Jafarzadeh reiterated that all the Iranian pilgrims in the country will be flown back to Iran by Ramadan.
Each year, thousands of Iranians fly to Saudi Arabia to visit Kaaba - the House of God on Earth - in Mecca during Haj pilgrimage.
In the meantime, the Iranian Health Ministry announced on Friday that the number of infections with H1N1 virus in Iran rose to 144, rejecting that swine flu has taken toll in the country.
According to the ministry, 50% of the patients are, reportedly, Hajj pilgrims and the rest have returned form trips to other countries, including those in southeast Asia.
The ministry announced on Sunday that the speed of swine flu pandemic in Iran has slowed down this week.
hattip Monotreme
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