UAE Warns Citizens Against Travel To India Over Swine Flu Fears

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned its citizens against travelling to India due to the spread of swine flu (H1N1 virus) in some parts of the country, state news agency WAM reported.

The ministry has also urged citizens who are currently in India to avoid swine flu–affected areas and public places where the disease is more likely to spread.

Foreign ministry’s Director of Citizen’s Affairs Rashid Al Dhaheri said that warnings represent UAE’s interest in safety and well being of its citizen travelling abroad.

The UAE has not declared a travel ban to the country yet.

India is facing one of its deadliest swine flu outbreak since 2010, with the number of reported cases exceeding 22,000.

Swine flu death toll in India has also rose over the last week to reach 1,198, according to updates from the country’s health ministry.

As of March 4, the death toll due to swine flu was the highest in Gujarat with 292 people succumbing to the disease while the virus has reportedly affected 4,904 people in the western Indian state.

Swine flu has also been rampant in the neighboring state of Rajasthan, where the deaths numbered 286 while around 5,782 people were affected by the virus.

The virus-related deaths have also been reported in other states such as Madhya Pradhesh, Telangana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Delhi, the country’s capital.

Authorities in severely affected states such as Gujarat are also cramping down on large public gatherings to limit the spread of the disease.

Despite a sudden outbreak, global health watchdog World Health Organisation (WHO) has not declared any travel ban to the country or to the affected states.

First reported in Mexico in 2009, swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by a strain of influenza type A virus known as H1N1, mainly spread by coughing and sneezing.