Kuwait sees 264 cases of A/H1N1 flu infections this week

A Kuwaiti health ministry official said Thursday 264 new cases of A/H1N1 flu infections have been recorded this week, bringing the total number to 1,366, Xinhua reported.
   The dramatic increase was lower than that of last week, when 332 infections were reported, spokesperson Yousif Al-Nisf was quoted by the official KUNA news agency as saying.
   As of now, four deaths of the pandemic have been registered in the Gulf Arab country.
   Al-Nisf said the ministry has operated under the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stave off the pandemic.
   He also stressed the need for residents to wash hands regularly, to cover their mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing, to avoid unnecessary contacts at mosques or shopping malls, and to visit doctors when developing any symptoms.
   As the number of flu infections have climbed rapidly in two consecutive weeks, several lawmakers on Wednesday signed a request calling on the parliament to hold an extraordinary session to assess the situation. 
   Worries have grown over a possible outbreak of the virus when students return to school and the government has decided to extend the holiday of kindergartens at foreign schools till Sept. 10 in a bid to stave off the lingering pandemic.