Arab nations to hold urgent talks on swine flu threat

NEW TALKS: Health ministers from the Middle East will meet in Riyadh on Monday to discuss the swine flu threat. (Getty Images)

Emergency talks will be held on Monday in Saudi Arabia by the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health to address the threat of swine flu.

The meeting in Riyadh will discuss the latest developments and WHO reports concerning the outbreak, and will seek to coordinate the efforts of Arab nations to prevent its spread, said Saudi Minister of Health Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rabeah.

The Executive Office is made up of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Meanwhile, Sharjah International Airport is set to start using thermal scanners on Monday as the UAE continues to step up its fight to prevent swine flu.

Passengers flying into Sharjah from the West will be screened for suspected cases of swine flu, it was reported.

Sharjah's move comes just 24 hours after Dubai Airport announced it had installed thermal cameras on Friday.

"The airport receives flights from Athens, Greece, and transit passengers from Europe and Turkey pass through Sharjah," said Dr Essam Salameh, head of medical services at Sharjah Airport in comments published by UAE daily Gulf News.

"Ministry of Health procedures are already in place. Suspected passengers are presently being screened with the help of digital ear thermometers," he said.

According to procedures, if a pilot suspects a passenger has the new strain of influeneza, he will inform the air traffic controller, who in turn will alert the airport medical centre.

Passengers with high temperature will be isolated until the test report is released, he said.

Abu Dhabi International Airport already has thermal scanners in place and Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) continues to monitor the outbreak through its 24-hour Incident Command Centre.

Qatar Airways said it is working closely with health authorities in Qatar and monitoring developments with international health organisations and governments around the world.

Since April 27, Qatar Airways has mandated that all flight deck and cabin crew wear masks on flights originating from the United States – namely daily services from New York, Washington DC and Houston.

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