Young child among eleven H1N1 flu deaths in Jordan

Young child among eleven H1N1 flu deaths in Jordan

2011-01-23 03:13:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

AMMAN (BNO NEWS) -- A four-year-old Jordanian girl died of A/H1N1 influenza on Saturday, bringing the total number of flu fatalities this season to 11, Jordan's Ministry of Health said.

The girl, who suffered from a chronic hereditary disease, was admitted to the Prince Hamzah Hospital in a very critical condition and died days later after receiving treatment, the Al Ghad newspaper reported.

According to an official from the ministry, the number of A/H1N1 flu cases has reached 181 since the discovery of the first case in early December 2010. The ministry called on citizens to follow prevention methods, especially groups with higher risk, like children, the elderly and the chronically ill.

A/H1N1 flu, better known as swine flu, was responsible for a global pandemic in 2009. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently classifies the disease as being in a post-pandemic period.

"In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus," the WHO said on its website. "At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly. An intensive phase of recovery and evaluation may be required."

In 2009, there were 3,033 A/H1N1 flu cases in Jordan, including 16 fatalities.

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