SAUDI ARABIA H1N1 UPDATE: 48 CASES, NO TRAVEL

UNCLAS RIYADH 000837 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP (HARRIS) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL TBIO KFLU CASC ASEC AMGT SA SUBJECT: SAUDI ARABIA H1N1 UPDATE: 48 CASES, NO TRAVEL BANS, POTENTIALLY MORE CASES REF: 09RIYADH800 ¶1. (SBU) On June 23, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 45 cases of H1N1 in Saudi Arabia since June 3, and on June 25 the Arab News reported three additional cases. The Ministry has reported no fatalities to date, and 17 of the H1N1 patients have been released from the hospital. Several patients were identified as H1N1-positive upon return from travel to the Philippines, the United States, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, and India, and the remainder were infected upon close contact with the returning travelers. The H1N1-infected persons reportedly range in age from 2 months to 32 years, including 17 under the age of 10. Ten of the reported H1N1 cases have been health workers, all Filipina and Malaysian nurses. ¶2. (SBU) To date, the Saudi government has imposed no travel bans. Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a senior Saudi cleric and member of the Shoura (Consultative) Council was quoted by the Okaz Daily as saying "it is not proper to ban people from Hajj." He added that travel to and from countries with reported cases of swine flu should not be impaired. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, the Kingdom's Grand Mufti, said the concerns over exposure to swine flu at the pilgrimage were exaggerated. The MOH is moving forward with Hajj preparations, including a June 28-30 H1N1 workshop with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) in Jeddah. Health officials from 20 health regions will participate, and the H1N1 experts will visit the Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to discuss preventive measures. ¶3. (SBU) A nurse who works at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) told Econoff on June 20 that 7 KAMC nurses had tested H1N1-positive. She added that KAMC was treating "several" other H1N1 patients, some of whom had been infected by the hospital staff. Econoff later confirmed that only 5 of the 7 H1N1-positive KAMC nurses had been confirmed in the press by the Ministry. Several other health workers told Econoff that they are more concerned about dengue fever than H1N1, as the H1N1 strain is very mild, while dengue fever is more prevalent and debilitating. (Note: The Embassy Medical Unit reviewed KAMC's H1N1 reporting forms and infection control precautions documents, and found the guidance to be reasonable. The transmission of H1N1 between hospital staff and patients is partly due to the incubation period of this H1N1 strain, and subsequent delayed appearance of symptoms. End note.) ¶4. (SBU) Comment: The Saudi government is responding expeditiously to all emerging H1N1 cases, and remains focused on prevention and surveillance in preparation for the upcoming pilgrimage season. The health worker's account indicates that MOH's reporting regimen is not flawless, but Post does not believe that the Kingdom is downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak. End comment. ¶5. (U) Henceforth Post will submit weekly H1N1 updates. ERDMAN