Tiny Med Island Finally Succumbs To Swine Flu

The government said that avoiding crowded gatherings was a good idea

The last country in the European Union to be infected with the swine influenza virus is Malta! This tiny Mediterranean island with a population of 400,000 people managed to hold out until the beginning of July despite hundreds of thousands of tourists arriving by plane and sea.

The Director of Health for the island Mr. Ray Busuttil explained that in line with correct procedure the infected individuals had been given the antiviral medication Tamiflu and members of their family and other people they had been in contact with had also been given the drug.

As is often the case in small confined places like Malta news of the swine flu infections spread rapidly and in some cases caused undue panic. Many people decided not to go to work with or canceled holidays abroad because they were frightened of coming into contact with people who were infected. The number of cases in Malta currently stands at 39 confirmed.

However the Maltese government said that they were keeping a close eye on the situation and that other then following simple hygiene practices such as washing hands, people should continue with their lives as normal. The government said that avoiding crowded gatherings was also a good idea however this will be hard to enact especially as there are so many summer parties and gatherings on the beach at this time of year. Some health experts predict that with the huge Isle of MTV concert coming up on Wednesday evening the virus could spread significantly more.

In line with the World Health Organisation recommendations the Maltese government has a stock of Tamiflu which will enable 25% of its population to be treated and more medicine has been ordered from its manufacturer Roche. The Maltese government has also invested in 10,000 courses of the other effective influenza medication Relenza.