CAIRO, July 22 (KUNA) -- Saudi Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeea on Wednesday stressed Saudi Arabia's readiness to combat the swine flu pandemic, ahead of the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Muslims for the pilgrimage season, better known as Hajj.
The minister was talking to health ministers at a World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO) meeting on swine flu in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
He said that since the emergence of the deadly disease, Saudi Arabia, under royal decree has been concerned with multiplying all precautionary measures to face the outspread of the A(H1N1) virus domestically and globally.
People arriving in Saudi Arabia through land, air and sea ports have been undergoing a series of routine checkups and tests, he said, by latest high-tech equipment and thermal sensor cameras.
Common seasonal flu vaccine "Tamiflu" is readily available at all clinics and hospitals distributed throughout various regions in the Arab Gulf state, and laboratories are fully geared up for swine flu testing.
Global experts were invited to Jeddah last June were they had made several recommendations, resulting in a number of royal decrees on the issue, Al-Rabeea noted.
Also, Saudi Arabia's "national plan," as termed by the Saudi minister, aims to encourage pilgrims to take Tamiflu before arriving in the holy lands and to cover the nasal and oral areas with paper tissues when sneezing or coughing.
The plan also urges the use of face masks and the regular washing of hands. (end) mab.sd KUNA 222057 Jul 09NNNN
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