SANA'A* Aug 23 ? Many less Yemenis will perform religious pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia this year as the government steps us measures to counter the possible spread of swine flu* correctly known as H1N1. Only 11*000 Yemenis are registered to perform Umra* the lesser pilgrimage* during Ramadan this year* compared to 28*000 last year* according to statistics from the Ministry of Endowment and Guidance.Over 2 million people usually go on the Umra pilgrimage to Mecca throughout the year* with extra numbers visiting in the holy month of Ramadan from August to September.The number of Yemenis set to complete the annual week-long Hajj pilgrimage in late November* is around 5*700 only. Last year up to 23*000 people performed the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. "This year over 3 million people from over 160 countries will perform the Hajj and Umra*" said Abdul Hakeem Al-Kuhlani* director of combating diseases and epidemic observation at the Ministry of Public Health and Population. "There is a great chance for the virus to mix and mutate* and there is also a possibility that it won't*" added Al-Kuhlani* who also heads the Supreme National Committee for Combating Bird and Swine Flu.Yemen is taking considerable measures to combat the spread of H1N1 and the World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating the global response to human cases of the virus. Yemen reported its first fatality last week in a 40-year-old man* living in the capital Sana'a. Although he had never been abroad* he was in close contact with relatives that had been.His case was not immediately diagnosed as H1N* which could have played a part in his death.Earlier this August* health misters from the Gulf countries held an urgent meeting* called by Minister of Public Health and Population Abdul Karim Rase'a* who chairs the Regional Committee for the eastern Mediterranean. The ministers notably discussed guidelines for pilgrimages in Saudi Arabia.Among them are setting the age limit between 12-65 years. No pregnant women are allowed* and neither are those suffering from chronic diseases such as uncontrolled diabetes* hypertension* cardiovascular diseases* bronchial diseases and obesity. Al-Kuhlani urges susceptible citizens in the country to delay their religious plans this season: "We do not want to create panic* but concern*" he adds. "We want people to think twice before deciding to go on Hajj and Umra."Swine flu in the regionThis week* Saudi Arabia announced that reported swine flu cases had reached 2*000 in the country since the first was detected on June 3. Since then 14 people have died of the virus inside the country.Kuwait* hit by more than 900 swine flu cases* advised its citizens to postpone their Umra plans* and the country's health minister has advised people to stop shaking hands and kissing to stem the spread of the disease.Earlier this month Iran imposed a ban on all Iranians traveling to Saudi during the fasting month in a bid to control swine flu.This year* business in the holy city could be down 40 percent during the fasting month* which starts this week* because of fear of the flu virus* according to the Mecca Chamber of Commerce.Deadly social customsThe last two cases in Yemen were a woman and child that were at a wedding attended by many people from neighboring Gulf states. "We have advised that people should stay away from crowded places*" said Al-Kuhlani adding that social customs such as kissing and hugging should be limited. "At a recent wedding* I saw a guest kissing the bridegroom 11 times."In other countries in the West* they have cancelled checking for fever at airports and issuing the travel card. "Yemen will not cancel these checks yet*" explaining that if the virus spreads rapidly those efforts would be wasted. SymptomsThe symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and influenza-like illnesses in general* with chills* fever* sore throat* muscle pains* severe headache* coughing* weakness and general discomfort. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of anti-viral medicines. The pandemic that began in March 2009 was caused by the H1N1 virus* a quadruple re-assortment of two swine strains* one human strain* and one avian strain of influenza. The largest proportion of genes comes from swine influenza viruses.In March and April 2009* an outbreak of respiratory illnesses was first noted in Mexico* which was eventually identified as being related to H1N1 influenza. The outbreak spread rapidly to the United States* Canada* and throughout the world as a result of airline travel* according to the WHO. Yemen reported its first case on 16 June. As of Aug. 22* 2009* 3*128 laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus were reported to the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of the WHO by 20 out of 22 Member States of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region....

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