UAE holds first mock response to swine flu outbreak

The first mock-emergency response to an outbreak of swine flu in the region was carried out in Abu Dhabi on Friday, and included members of the armed forces and medical personnel.

The drill code-named “Estijaba” aimed to test the readiness of the UAE to deal with an infectious disease outbreak, such as Mexico's recent encounter with the H1N1 virus.

The event was used to train administrative, medical and technical workers how to handle such a situation, and was carried out in strict accordance with World Health Organisation and American Emergency Authority standards, according to UAE daily Gulf News.

In Friday evening health minister Humaid Al Qutami appeared on Dubai TV on Friday evening to assure citizens that the Emirates had enough anti-flu medication in stock to treat a mass outbreak of the illness.

The country had five million courses of Tamiflu in stock - more than enough to cover 10 percent of the total population - which was the international recommendation, he added.

Efforts were also being made on a worldwide level to develop a more effective drug or vaccine that could fully cure the disease, Qutami said, adding that such a break through was expected to be achieved by September this year.

However, to maintain stocks of Tamiflu, anyone found dispending the drug without a prescription from a qualified medical doctor would be liable to a punitive action by law, he warned.
 
The emergency response practice was conducted jointly by the Emirates National Emergency Medical Response Programme, the Emirates National Emergency Medical Response and the Advanced Integrated Systems.

The response team was made up of representatives of the UAE Armed Forces, Ministry of Health, Interior Ministry, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, the UAE Red Crescent Authority, Zayed Foundation, Khalifa Charity Foundation and some private entities such as Al Noor Hospital.

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