The Ministry of Health has said that priority will be given to sufferers of asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure in the distribution of the swine flu vaccine which is expected to arrive in the Kingdom within three weeks. Also first in the queue to receive vaccinations, said ministry spokesman Khalid Marghalani Monday, will be medical staff and employees working in the Haj. Marghalani moved to refute claims from some quarters that swine flu vaccinations may have undesirable side effects. “The Ministry of Health has contracts with two US companies who are among the finest vaccine producers in the world, and tests have shown the vaccines to be safe,” Marghalani said. “Those making the claims have no evident knowledge and only seek to heighten people's concern.” Marghalani added that the vaccines would be administered as soon as they arrive and “maybe following a plan in place to vaccinate one million persons in a single day”. In a separate statement on Monday the ministry said that the number of cases of swine flu during the Umrah season had been reassuringly low, with only nine Umrah-related instances in Makkah during Ramadan, and 15 in Madina. A further two cases were recorded, one in Asir and the other in the Northern Border province. No deaths were registered, according to the statement. “This number is extremely low given the millions of Umrah pilgrims and visitors,” the statement said. The spread of the swine flu virus is at the top of the agenda at Wednesday and Thursday's meetings of the GCC Arab Education Office as authorities prepare for the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. Director General of the Office Ali Al-Qarni said that, among other measures to protect pupils from the virus, a translation is currently being conducted of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention advisory guide for schools, pupils and parents.
