SWINE FLU DEATH TOLL RISES TO SIX IN WEST BANK

Jenin, 12 Jumadal Akhir 1436/1 April 2015 (MINA) – A new fatality has been reported in the West Bank of swine flu on Wednesday (1/4), bringing the number of West Bank Palestinians who died of the virus to six since the beginning of this year.

Local sources said that a 73-year-old woman, from Jenin, died Tuesday evening after contracting the swine flu virus, known as H1N1, two weeks ago. She died in a hospital in Jenin where she was receiving medical treatment at the ICU, the sources added, Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

For his part, Head of Preventive Medicine Department of the Palestinian Ministry of Health Dr. Asad Ramlawi said, in a press statement, the elderly woman was infected with several diseases in addition to swine flu.

The swine flu death toll, since the commencement of this year, has raised a state of fear among Palestinians in the West Bank of the possibility of a wider spread of the virus. The citizens also doubt the capability of the Palestinian Ministry of Health to handle the situation.

Official health authorities, however, played down fears and confirmed the availability of the vaccine, pointing out that the cases of death were all suffering other diseases in addition to weak immunity. (T/P006/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)