The Palestinian health minister said Saturday a man returning from Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has died of swine flu. The 30-year-old man is the first Palestinian casualty of the flu in the West Bank. However, 86 people there have been infected since the outbreak began, mostly by Palestinians returning from countries with high infection rates. Health Minister Fathi Abu Mughli said the man suffered from a severe lung infection which complicated his condition. The man died Friday afternoon. Palestinian authorities have decided not to allow elderly Palestinians, children or those with chronic diseases to make the Haj pilgrimage which this year occurs in late November.
