An authorised source in the Public Health Ministry announced that the services of the relevant national laboratory confirmed contamination of two Tunisian nationals, coming from the United States of America, by the "A H1N1" virus.

The source adds that the concerned health authorities have taken all precautionary measures for the benefit of those two nationals, as well as their relatives, and provided them with the care set forth by the national strategy on prevention of the swine flu pandemic, pointing out that these two citizens are submitted to a close medical follow-up and that they are in good health.

The same source indicates that discovering these two cases translates the efficiency of the national mechanism of epidemiological monitoring and surveillance set up since the World Health Organisation's announcement of the eruption of the first cases of swine flu in the world.

The two cases of contamination by the "A H1N1" virus, Monday announced by the public health ministry, are those of two female students who recently came back from the United States among a group of students who were following academic studies in various U.S. academic establishments as part of the Youth Exchange Students Programme.

The students were back in Tunis from Washington where they had met, via Frankfurt. In collaboration with various structures as part of the national strategy on prevention of the swine flu pandemic, the group of students underwent a close follow-up as soon as they arrived in Tunis given the cases of contamination by the virus A H1N1 recorded in the Middle East among students coming from the United States where they had been following the same programme.

As soon as they arrived in Tunis, the students were submitted together with members of their families as a precautionary measure to medical control including taking their temperature twice a day while giving them necessary advice.

Still as part of precautionary measures, they were given antivirus Tamiflu treatment and individual protection masks to prevent any propagation of the virus. All cases were submitted to ENT analyses to confirm their good health.

The results of the analyses done by the competent services of the national laboratory of reference revealed the contamination of two female students by the A H1N1 virus noting the wake presence of various charge with the two concerned persons.

The state of health of the two students is good and they are presently under medical follow-up in their homes.

The control equipment set up at airports, harbours and check points which have been operational since May 1st, 2009 have permitted control of hundred of thousands travelers and revealed about thirty case of high temperature which were diagnosed on the spot by relevant medical teams.

Two cases were suspected and submitted to lab analyses which confirmed that they were not of viral origin; the first case was due to sunstroke (an English tourist) and the second case due to a common seasonal flu (a Turkish tourist).

A source from the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases announced that a Tunisian national back from a professional trip in Saudi Arabia is contaminated with the A H1N1 virus.

The Director General of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases said the person in question has been provided care on his arrival at the airport.

He was submitted to a medical check-up and nasopharyngeal samples were taken for analysis. The required precautionary measures were taken to avoid any possible spread of the virus.

Analyses made in the relevant national laboratory confirmed that the citizen, aged 38, is contaminated with the A H1N1 virus.

The same source indicates that all preventive and curative measures have been taken for the benefit of this person and members of his family. It adds that he is in good health and is in the process of recovery, while remaining under close medical surveillance at home.

This is the third A H1N1 case recorded in Tunisia, after the announcement on Monday of two cases, namely two students who returned home from the United States of America. A preventive and curative care was provided to the two students since their arrival on the national territory, which evidences the efficiency of the epidemiological control and detection systems set up by Tunisia from the announcement of the very first cases of the virus on the international scale.

On 7 July, Tunisia has confirmed its fourth case of swine flu.The case is that of a baby who arrived with his parents from Canada to the city of Sfax in the Tunisian South. The ten months baby suffered from fever during the first three days of his arrival and was directly submitted to the Central Hospital of Sfax where he had been provided care and a full medical check up.

Dr Hedi El Baz from the hospital of Sfax stated that the baby's parents do not carry the virus.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Religious Affairs decided to postpone all pilgrimage trips to Mecca scheduled for November 2009 because of swine flu.

On 9 July, the fifth case of swine has been confirmed in Tunis. The subject is a Canadian citizen of Nigerian origins, who arrived in Tunis at the beginning of July. The National Observatory of Diseases is taking care of the citizen and stated that he is receiving appropriate medical care.

On 4th August, the number of swine flu cases in Tunisia reached 19. Nine new cases had been detected arriving from Canada, France, the UK and Mali and are aged between 19 and 52.

Mr Mongi Hamrouni, Director of Health care at the Ministry of Health stated that the cases include five Tunisians and four foreigners but they had all been provided with medical care and the necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.