H1N1 reported in Gaza, Southern Sudan

Dec 7 2009

Two women have become the first to die from H1N1 (swine flu) in Gaza, health officials said Monday, Agence France-Presse/Inquirer.net reports. The announcement came after five patients were confirmed to have H1N1 - the first cases in the region. "Hassan Khalaf, a spokesman for the Hamas health ministry, declined to give details but said the condition of three other people who on Sunday had been confirmed to have contracted A(H1N1) was improving," according to the news service (12/7).

With the reports that H1N1 has reached Gaza, the Associated Press/Jerusalem Post examines growing concern that there are not enough H1N1 vaccines to distribute to the health workers in the region (12/6).

Gaza's Health Ministry has reached out to the WHO for assistance to contain and treat the virus, according to VOA News. "Neighboring Israel has a blockade on Gaza, and Egypt restricts movement across its border with the Hamas-controlled territory. Health officials say that isolation likely kept the H1N1 virus from affecting the coastal territory sooner," the news service adds (12/6).

The WHO has confirmed the first case of H1N1 in the Southern Sudan region of Juba, the Sudan Tribune reports (12/5).

The WHO reported Friday that 207 countries and territories worldwide have reported cases of H1N1 and at least 8,768 people worldwide have died from the virus, RIA NOVOSTI reports (12/4).