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Pandemic (H1N1) 2009
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Vaccination campaign against
pandemic influenza launched in Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Jordan
Since Oman launched its nation-wide
vaccination campaign against pandemic influenza, eight other
Member States in the Region (Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Morocco and Jordan) have launched
vaccination campaign against pandemic influenza during the last
few weeks. All these countries have selected Hajj pilgrims,
health-care workers, pregnant women and other high risk groups
for complication from influenza as the first priority groups to
receive these vaccines.
A massive public awareness campaign has also
started in all these countries in connection with the
vaccination campaign.
Vaccination campaign against pandemic influenza launched in Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Jordan (pdf,
18 kb)
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Interim guidance on public
health measures for the returnee Hajj Pilgrims published
WHO Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has recently published an
interim guidance on public health measures for the returnee Hajj
pilgrims considering the fact that Hajj-related exportation of
pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus from the returnee Hajj pilgrims may
potentially initiate new waves of outbreaks and burden
health-care system. The objective of this interim guidance is to
assist Member States of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to
design their own surveillance measures for monitoring the health
of their returnee Hajjees. It is also understood that in
addition to the measures recommended in the interim guidance,
the Member States can undertake additional public health
measures to minimize risk and reduce further spread of the
disease in accordance with the International Health Regulations
(IHR 2005).
Hajj is a unique annual mass gathering where more than two
million Muslims congregate in Mekka and Madina in Saudi Arabia
from more than 150 countries around the world. The continuing
spread of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus infection may
potentially pose a risk to the countries from their returnee
Hajj pilgrims owing to the special religious rituals that the
Hajjees go through in very crowded conditions during the
pilgrimage.
Respiratory infections are the commonest illnesses encountered
at the Hajj among others; increases in the incidence of
influenza may therefore be expected in these countries when the
Hajjees return after the pilgrimage.
Download the interim guidance on public health measures for the
returnee Hajj Pilgrims(pdf, 43 kb)
Weekly Epidemiological Monitor,
volume 2, issue 48, 28 November 2009
(pdf, 453 kb)
Further reading
Recommendations of International Consultative Workshop in
Jeddah on Hajj and Umrah
(pdf, 872 kb)
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Press conference on pandemic (H1N1)
2009
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
On Tuesday 24 November 2009, the WHO Regional Office for the
Eastern Mediterranean held a press conference on the latest developments
with respect to pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Journalists and reporters representing
Cairo-based international, regional and local media outlets attended the
press conference. A technical presentation was given on the current status
of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 after which the floor was opened for questions.
Responding to these questions were WHO technical experts: Dr Jaouad Mahjour,
Director of Communicable Diseases, Dr Zuhair Hallaj, Special Adviser for
Communicable Diseases and Dr Hassan El-Bushra, Regional Adviser,
Surveillance, Forecasting and Response, who answered, in detail, questions
regarding pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and presented the latest WHO recommendations
on pandemic preventive measures and interventions.
Arabic
transcript of the press conference
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SAGE’s advise on pandemic influenza
vaccines
 The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization,
which advises WHO on policies and strategies for vaccines and
immunization, devoted a session of its 27–29 October meeting to
pandemic influenza vaccines. The experts reviewed the current
epidemiological situation of the pandemic worldwide and considered
issues and options from a public health perspective.
Following the conclusion of the meeting, SAGE’s recommendations on
pandemic influenza vaccines have been released. The experts advised
WHO on the number of doses of vaccine needed to confer protection in
different age groups, the co-administration of seasonal and pandemic
vaccines, and vaccines for use in pregnant women. Recommendations on
the formulation of seasonal influenza vaccines for the southern
hemisphere in 2010 were also provided.
Read more on pandemic influenza vaccines
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First report of oseltamivir-resistant pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza
virus from the Region
 The Republic of Yemen reported its first oseltamivir resistant
pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus last week. 2009. This is also the first
case of oseltamivir resistance virus reported from the Eastern
Mediterranean Region.
The specimen was taken from a 3 year old female child who was
admitted to the hospital on 07 October with high grade of fever,
cough, sore throat, body ache and difficulty in breathing. The child
was also a known case of congenital heart disease with pulmonary
hypertension. The child was put on antiviral medicine and was tested
positive for H1N1 by RT-PCR on 9 October at the National Public
Health Laboratory of Yemen. The clinical condition of the child did
not improve even 10 days after she was put on treatment. At this
stage, her second nasal swab was tested positive for H1N1 at the
same laboratory. The isolate was sent to NAMRU-3, a WHO
Collaborating Center) for routine antiviral resistance test and
found to be resistant to oseltamivir. The patient has now clinically
improved with no fever and difficulty in breathing.
Since the beginning of current influenza pandemic, a total of 40
cases of oseltamivir-resistant pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus, including
the one from Yemen, have been reported globally to WHO till the end
of October 2009. Globally all resistant cases reported so far are
geographically dispersed and not epidemiologically linked to one
another. Extensive susceptibility testing of clinical samples and
virus isolates also suggests that such resistant viruses are not
circulating at a community level.
Weekly Epidemiological Monitor,
volume 2, issue 44, 01 November 2009 (pdf, 158 kb)
Weekly Epidemiological Record,
volume 84, issue 44, 30 October 2009
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