Saudi health authorities have advised patients infected with a respiratory virus other than SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, the importance of wearing a face mask.
On Sunday, the Saudi Ministry of Health renewed its emphasis on “the importance of wearing a muzzle for those infected with seasonal influenza to protect those around them,” according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The ministry said that the face mask is “a protective barrier that reduces the chances of infection by breathing droplets, and it is one of the most common ways of transmitting seasonal influenza, especially while in gatherings and health facilities, or with people who show symptoms of infection.”
Indication of high cases #seasonalflu And the most dangerous groups are exposed to severe complications, we stress the need to protect your health through these steps. pic.twitter.com/PWVJcABInt
— Saudi Ministry of Health (@SaudiMOH) October 24, 2022
Last month, the Saudi Ministry of Health confirmed the high incidence of seasonal influenza virus infection, as it advised the need to prevent through several steps, including wearing face masks, which were mandatory during the period of the Covid-19 epidemic in many countries, including Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry stressed the importance of receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine during this period, which increases the spread of viruses that cause it.
The Saudi Public Health Authority, “Weqaya”, also warned of an expected increase in cases of some respiratory diseases and the Corona virus, with the advent of winter, while the Ministry of Health revealed complications of seasonal influenza infection, which may reach “death”.
H1N1 in the Gulf countries .. Is the “swine flu” back?
Over the past weeks, Gulf people have spoken loudly on social media about an old infectious disease that is spreading again on a large scale: swine flu.
Monitoring of respiratory diseases is carried out on an ongoing basis in the authority, and includes identifying influenza strains in confirmed cases, where the virus type B represents the currently common pattern in the Kingdom, followed by the viral type A of the H1N1 and H3N2 strains, according to a “prevention” statement.