Jordan's first swine flu death reported

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The first H1N1 (swine) flu death was confirmed in Jordan on Monday, according to top health authorities.

Minister of Health Nayef Fayez said the first swine flu-related fatality in Jordan was a 26-year-old man, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The man, according to the minister, also suffered from tuberculosis (TB) and a severe lung infection that weakened his immune system.

A medical source at Prince Hamzah Hospital told The Jordan Times that the young man died late Sunday after he was transferred from a private hospital in Amman, where he was receiving treatment for the lung infection and the TB.

The minister said the young man was taken to Prince Hamzah Hospital after suspicion that he suffered from swine flu.

According to the Health Ministry, a total of 850 H1N1 cases have been reported in Jordan since the first two cases were detected in mid-June.

As of October 4, 2009, there have been more than 375,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 worldwide, and over 4,500 deaths reported to the World Health Organization, according to the organization's website.

Under a new strategy adopted by the Health Ministry that went into effect Monday, some swine flu patients will receive treatment at home, especially those who have slight symptoms of the disease.

Those over the age of 65, children under the age of five and pregnant women will be admitted to the hospital for treatment, especially those suffering from chronic diseases such as heart disease.

By Mohammad Ghazal