12 swine flu cases likely in Algeria

A total of 12 relatives of an Algerian woman affected by the H1N1 virus are under medical surveillance and underwent laboratory tests, expert said on Saturday.

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• “The woman’s two children, two of her cousins who came to Algiers to see her and other eight relatives who have been with her since Tuesday June 16 in Algiers,” said Amrani, coordinator of crisis cell on swine flu.
• The woman flew into Algiers on a Lufthansa flight from Miami via Frankfurt on Tuesday.
• Algerian health minister gave instructions to open a pandemic investigation on all the places the woman passed by including the airport of Algiers and her family environment.
• “Everyday, the crisis cell receives two detailed reports on the woman’s health state. She is recovering after a specialised medical staff was mobilised,” said the expert.
• “The number of the passengers who were with her is 60 including 21 foreign nationals. The rest of them are Algerians. They have been localised and are now under the pandemic investigation,” she added.
• The health ministry notified all the provincial health departments to step up prevention procedures against the pandemic.