According to information from Iran's Central Laboratory, seven other people have been infected with the A/H1N1 virus. Earlier, nine cases of the virus had been reported. Thus, the total number of those infected is 16. All those infected are pilgrims returning from Haj in Saudi Arabia, Iranian state television Iribnews official website reports.
Iranian Health Minister Kamran Bagiri Lankarani said that all of them had been infected outside the country. The disease was discovered while they were entering the country at the border.
According to ILNA Iranian information agency, on July 14 one case of A/H1N1 virus had been confirmed in Iran but 200 people had been suspected of infection, Director of the Infectious Diseases Centre in the Iranian Health Ministry, Muhammad Mehdi Guya, said.
He said that Iranian pilgrims will be restricted in going to Saudi Arabia during Haj in 2009. "According to the latest information, roughly 150 people have caught A/H1N1 virus in Saudi Arabia. The number of the pilgrims who wish to make Haj will be restricted in 2009 so as not to spread the virus," Guya said.