RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has arranged four million doses of vaccine to treat swine flu during the Umrah and Haj pilgrimages, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah announced at a news conference at the ministry on Saturday.

The minister said that the news conference was held to keep the public informed of all developments regarding the spread of swine flu in the Kingdom. “We want to be transparent in all our activities regarding the control, spread and treatment of the disease in the Kingdom.”

He assured the families of those who have died of swine flu that full inquiries would be held into the deaths. The minister said that blood samples of the four people who have died in the Kingdom have been sent to Center For Disease Control (CDC) in the US for necessary analysis.

Regarding the forthcoming Haj season, the Foreign Ministry has not yet stipulated quarantine requirements for Haj visas at its overseas missions. The Kingdom’s recommendations include the exclusion of pilgrims above 65, pregnant women and children under five.

The minister said that it was the responsibility of the Saudi government to look after the health of all pilgrims. He added: “It is up to individual countries to decide whether to send pilgrims to the Kingdom. However, we want to assure every pilgrim a safe stay in the holy cities.”

He said his ministry would launch an intensive public health awareness campaign. “Since May 27, we have treated 595 cases of H1N1 in all parts of the Kingdom and we will extend our awareness programs so that every citizen and expatriate can take adequate precautions against the disease,” Al-Rabeeah said.

Besides the four swine flu deaths, the minister indicated that only four other H1N1 patients out of 595 cases are currently being treated in Saudi hospitals. The minister said: “Swine flu is mild and in the Kingdom, it is still in the early stage. People need not get upset over the disease. It is well under control.”

Al-Rabeeah said that teens and young people were disproportionately affected and the elderly the least affected by swine flu in the Kingdom. The minister said that anybody with high fever, breathing difficulties and chest pain for more than three days should seek medical help.

He insisted on facemasks for those in large crowds. Besides washing their hands, he said, people should use tissues when coughing or sneezing and then dispose of the tissues in a rubbish bin.

In a related development, the Bahrain Haj authorities announced plans to reduce the Haj quota for pilgrims. The head of the Haj and Umrah Section at the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Abdulnasser Abdullah said Bahrain had instructed companies to reduce the number of Haj pilgrims this year. The Health Ministry has issued a travel advisory urging the elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic diseases not to perform Umrah. The issue remains, however, a matter of personal choice for pilgrims.

Swine flu brochures in Arabic and English explaining about the flu and precautionary measures to be taken are being distributed on the King Fahd Causeway and at the Bahrain International Airport. LINK..