CAIRO: An H1N1 vaccine for pregnant women is due to arrive in Egypt within three weeks, Amr Kandil, deputy minister of health for precautionary measures, said.
Pregnant women have counted for 18 percent of the total number of swine flu deaths in Egypt, Kandil said in a statement, and the only preventive measure against this virus is the vaccine.
The ministry also announced that starting Jan. 3, elementary school students in Alexandria will be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.
The Ministry of Health announced Wednesday seven more swine flu deaths, raising Egypt’s toll to 136.
Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabaly previously said that the death toll from the H1N1 virus is expected to rise in January and February.
According to the latest weekly swine flu report released by the Ministry of Health, the number of cases in Egypt reached 10,056 as of Dec. 27. These include 3,990 cases among school students and 529 university students.
The number of patients who have been treated from the H1N1 virus reached 9,828.
