Virus cannot be contained, says head of GCC centre



ABU DHABI // Countries in the Gulf region need to concentrate on minimising the spread of swine flu rather than trying to contain it, an expert said yesterday. Dr Ziad Memish, the head of the GCC's centre for infection control, said officials should follow advice from the World Health Organisation and focus on mitigation, as containment was no longer an option. This week the UAE and Bahrain both confirmed positive cases of the H1N1 virus.

Ministry of Health officials travelled to Riyadh on Monday for an all-day meeting to co-ordinate and combine preventive measures across the region. Dr Memish was at the meeting and said officials discussed antiviral stocks, entry and exit point monitors, and ways to document potential spreads of the virus. "We were trying to co-ordinate all the national plans in the Gulf," he said, to "ensure consistency in the policies and procedures".

"The time for containment is long gone. Now it is just trying to limit the spread of the virus. "We understand that there will be more cases. The source is still there but there is no reason for people to panic." Yesterday the WHO daily statement reported more than 12,900 cases in 46 countries. The comprehensive country list did not include Bahrain or the UAE. munderwood@thenational.ae

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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

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Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

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Strait of Hormuz

Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.

The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.

Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.

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The biog

Name: Maitha Qambar

Age: 24

Emirate: Abu Dhabi

Education: Master’s Degree

Favourite hobby: Reading

She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”