Israel confirmed its first case of swine flu on Tuesday, Israel Radio reported. A 26-year-old man who recently returned from Mexico was diagnosed with the virus, after two days of quarantine in a local hospital located north of Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, no cases of swine flu were reported in the Arab world. The UAE is not affected by swine flu and there is no need to panic, said the UAE's Minister of Health on Tuesday. The country is ready to detect and tackle swine flu in case of an outbreak, said Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami at a press conference in Dubai.

In Saudi Arabia, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has declared that no suspected cases of swine flu had been found in the Kingdom. According to Arab News, he said his ministry had taken precautions to protect the health of citizens and residents.

On his part, Director of Health Affairs in Jeddah Dr. Sami Badawood conveyed that precautionary measures were taken for all arrivals into Saudi Arabia. Health centers at airports and other border points were on high alert and screened all arriving passengers. According to him, Saudi authorities decided to clean and spray all aircraft and vehicles coming from infected areas.

In Egypt, the Health Ministry announced an emergency state to prevent the outbreak in the country. 

© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)