UAE denies expats swine flu ban after holidays abroad

FLU BAN: Health officials are striving to implement a public awareness plan about the H1N1 virus. (Getty Images)

Swine flu special report

The UAE Ministry of Health has strongly denied it will demand expatriates in the UAE on holiday abroad to produce a medical certificate proving they are not infected with swine flu before returning to the country.

An unnamed source within the National Supervisory Committee for Combating Swine Flu had been quoted in a media report on Tuesday as saying that from August any person with swine flu symptoms without the certificate would be refused entry to the UAE .

But a senior health official has since quashed suggestions the government planned to take this action.

"The news about this issue is completely untrue," said Dr Ali bin Shuker, director of the Ministry of Health and Chairman of the Technical Health Committee for Combating Swine Flu, speaking later on Tuesday, in a report by WAM news agency.

He also denied suggestions, in the same report by UAE daily Gulf News, that shopping malls would be provided with thermal scanners to detect people with the virus.

"The idea was not even included on the agenda of the two committees," he said.

The National Supervisory Committee for Combating Swine Flu was committed to standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to fight the virus, he said.

He said the authorities were striving to implement a public awareness plan about the virus in cooperation with other government stakeholders including ministries of education and higher education and the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment.

"The National Supervisory Committee for Combating Swine Flu is handling issues regarding this disease with transparency and clarity out of its keenness for the safety of the public," he said.

The committee kept the public informed about the latest developments on swine flu through weekly updates every Monday or interviews officials gave to TV, radio and other media outlets, he added.

The two committees are government organisations set up to fight the spread of the virus.

The Ministry of Health said on Monday that 11 patients with swine flu had been discharged from hospital after fully recovering from the virus.

Thirty five more swine flu patients were still receiving treatment in hospital, with their condition described as stable, it said.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Who is next???
Posted by Theodor Herrnstadt, Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 9 September 2009 at 21:31 UAE time


People are only bothered about the metro, nobody gives a damn about the swine flu. It is each one's duty to take all the necessary precautions because God only knows who is next on the long list of H1N1 victims.

swine flu, especially to answer hala
Posted by a,s,rashid, sharjah, uae on Wednesday 9 September 2009 at 02:52 UAE time


What you have against uae. The country that offer you the accomodation, treatment and education. Lets say that you as expatriates whatever your country is and I am local from uae. both entered with swine flu. you are sure that my country will offer you exactly like me so why u feel that you are unaccepted after all the benefits you are getting that you dream of in your country. In case the issue of the certificate is true you will be sent back to your home country but as uae national do u expect me to be sent to palestine, egypt or india.

Flu? Do we care?
Posted by SB, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 30 July 2009 at 10:50 UAE time


Alganda - you will be interested to hear that I travelled back to Dubai from the Uk on Tuesday - where swine flu has now topped 100,000 people. I was asked to fill in a health queationnaire on the plane and told it was mandatory. I walked straight through the thermal imaging cameras where a women sat looking totally disinterested and when I got to passport control I asked the lady there what I should do with my questionnaire. She simple shrugged her shoulders and smiled....so really positive commitment to keeping swine flu at bay!!!

Flu Flu Flu Flu
Posted by ALGANDA on Thursday 30 July 2009 at 09:53 UAE time


I came back to Dubai from Thailand last week. Was expecting to see thermal scanners being used in Dubai airport (as they were in Bangkok Airport). To my "surprise", there were in fact Thermal Scanners, but they were swtiched off and noone was in sight trying to operate them. The area where the thermal scanners were located was completed vacant. Dubai is not serious about containing Swine Flu .

I challange the Ministry of Health to explain/come up with a reasonable answer as to why the thermal scanners were not being used in the airport on the night of Thursday, the 23rd of July 2009. PLEASE NO SPIN!!!

View all comments (58) >>

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM