RIYADH: Assistant Deputy Minister of Health for Preventative Medicine Dr. Ziad Al-Memish said on Tuesday the Kingdom has implemented “comprehensive” programs to combat swine flu based on recommendations made during this past summer’s summit of health ministers from the region held in Cairo.

Meanwhile, the number of swine flue cases has risen to approximately 9,000, up from about 7,000 in October, according to Memish.

The measures include thermal-camera screening at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, Madinah’s Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Airport and the seaports in Jeddah and Yanbu, and 91 health officials working around the clock at the Haj Terminal in Jeddah.

Health officials in the Kingdom have been saying for weeks that they are implementing the recommendations made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control.

“We have worked out a mechanism with WHO to monitor swine flu among Haj pilgrims this year, Memish said.

“Pilgrims with high body temperatures will be quarantined for testing to “treat them accordingly,” he added.

King Saud Hospital in Jeddah, the hospital closest to the Haj Terminal, will receive any suspected swine flu cases of pilgrims arriving in Jeddah by commercial flights.

The Kingdom is particularly susceptible to potential outbreaks of the rarely fatal H1N1 virus because of the year-round arrivals of millions of pilgrims from all over the world, traffic which peaks during Ramadan and Haj. While the mortality rate for H1N1 is low, the young, old and those with immune-deficiency problems are at higher risk of death from swine flu.

Health officials prepare every year for this tide of humanity, usually focusing on tropical infectious diseases and other health issues.

This year the global pandemic of the swine flue virus has caused these officials to focus heavily on assaying concerns about the virus.

“We are one of the countries that has an integrated plan to fight swine flu,” said Memish.