MANAMA, JUNE 14, (BNA) SEVEN OUT OF 13 STUDENTS FROM THE SECOND SECONDARY, WHO ARRIVED YESTERDAY EVENING FROM THE USA FOLLOWING A TEN MONTH TRAINING PROGRAMME, SHOWED SLIGHT SYMPTOMS OF FLU LIKE HIGH TEMPERATURE, PAIN IN THE THROAT AND COUGHING.
LABORATORY TESTS CARRIED OUT ON THEM AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTORATE PROVED THEY WERE CARRIERS OF H1N1 VIRUS CAUSING SWINE FLU, THE HEALTH MINISTRY DECLARED. THE STUDENTS WERE PUT UNDER CONTROL AT SALMANIYA MEDICAL COMPLEX QUARANTINE WARD TO RECEIVE THE NECESSARY TREATMENT, IT ADDED. IN LINE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) AND THE STRING OF PREEMPTIVE PROCEDURES PUT IN PLACE TO AVOID PANDEMICS, THE SIX REMAINING STUDENTS TESTED NEGATIVE FOR SWINE FLU AFTER BEING SUMMONED FOR MEDICAL CHECK-UP. HOWEVER, THEY ARE STILL UNDER OBSERVATION, THE MINISTRY SAID. THE PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR URGED PEOPLE IN BAHRAIN TO FOLLOW GENERAL PREEMPTIVE MEASURES TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM FLU ASSURING THEM THAT THE NEW CASES DO NOT SIGNAL A PANDEMIC IN BAHRAIN BUT THEY WERE JUST COMING FROM ABROAD. BAHRAIN WILL REMAIN SAFE FROM THE EPIDEMIC AS LONG AS PEOPLE ADHERE TO THE NECESSARY PREVENTIVE MEASURES, SHE SAID ADDING THAT THE HEALTH MINISTRY HAS STOCKPILED AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF ANTI-FLU MEDICINE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS AND HAS TAKEN THE NECESSARY STEPS TO ACQUIRE VACCINATION WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT OCTOBER. AOQ 14-JUN-2009 23:14