West Bank: First death from swine flu confirmed

Palestinians on Friday confirmed the first death in the West Bank from the new H1N1 flu virus. According to Reuters,  Asad Ramlawi, a senior Palestinian Health Ministry official conveyed a 34-year-old man who recently returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia had died in a Ramallah hospital.

In June, the Palestinians reported a first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus. According to Ramlawi, there were now about 80 confirmed H1N1 cases in the Palestinian territories.

Israel's Health Ministry Web site said by July 30 1,719 cases had been diagnosed in the country.