Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns travelers about 'swine flu' threat

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has issued a statement warning the Azerbaijani citizens traveling abroad about AH1N1 (“swine flu”) virus spread causing death cases worldwide.

According to the reports of the World Health Organization for October 17, 2009, more than 414, 000 lab-confirmed virus infection cases were identified in the world and 5,000 died from the disease.

According to WHO, the following countries confirmed AH1N1 virus infection cases in 2009:

USA, Germany, Argentine, Austria, Australia, Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermudas, Bahamas, Barbados, Bahrain, UAE, Brunei, Britain, British Virgin Islands, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Algeria, Ethiopia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Philippines, India, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Columbia, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Costa Rica, Kenya, Cuba, Cyprus, Canada, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Luxembourg, Lebanon, Libya, Latvia, Lithuania, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Egypt, Malaysia, Martinique, Hungary, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Papua-New Guinea, Palau, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto-Rico, Guyana, Guatemala, Rwanda, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Sao Tome and Principe, Slovenia, Slovakia, Surinam, Syria, Sri Lanka, Saint Lucia, Thailand, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, Vietnam, Yemen, Greece, New Zealand, Jamaica, Japan, West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The citizens who have traveled or planning to travel to those countries are required to be careful.

WHO reports about 13,297 infection and 75 death cases in Africa, 160,129 infection and 3,539 deaths in America, 14,739 infection and 96 deaths in Eastern Mediterranean, more than 63,000 infection and at least 261 deaths in Europe, 41,153 infection and 573 deaths in South-Eastern Asia, 122,267 infection and 455 deaths in Western Pacific.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends to the citizens of Azerbaijan Republic traveling abroad to be careful and to ask for medical aid in the case of infection.

According to Ukraine’s Health Ministry, AH1N1 is widely spread in the Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankovsk and Chernovtsi regions of the country.

The country has now confirmed more than 250 000 cases of influenza-like illness, with 235 patients requiring intensive care.

As of 2 November, 70 deaths from acute respiratory illness have been reported. Regions in western Ukraine continue to show the highest rates of acute respiratory illness/influenza-like illness.

The level of infectious activity in Kyiv area is also increasing rapidly.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends to the citizens of Azerbaijan Republic permanently or temporarily living in Ukraine to contact with the Azerbaijan embassy and to pass consulate registration to be provided with assistance in the case of problems.

Addresses of the Azerbaijani embassies and consulates are posted on MFA Internet page (www.mfa.gov.az).

/APA/