Further case of H1N1

CYPRUS RECORDED its fifth case of the H1N1 virus yesterday, the last four being young English tourists who recently arrived on the island.

The latest person to have the virus is a 22-year-old English tourist who arrived in Cyprus on June 18.

According to the Health Ministry’s senior medical officer Olga Kalakouta, he showed symptoms of the flu on Sunday night and went to Famagusta general hospital on Monday night for a check-up. Results from Nicosia hospital confirmed he had the virus, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

All five recorded cases of H1N1 in Cyprus are considered “imported” cases. The previous three involved teenage British tourists who arrived on the island on June 15 and were staying in apartments in Protaras. Kalakouta confirmed that the latest case has nothing to do with the three 18-year-olds who are currently receiving treatment for the virus after testing positive over the weekend.

Kalakouta described the condition of the three teenagers as “very good”. One of the three is due to be released from the special ward set up at Limassol hospital today.

Those that have come into close contact with the latest case of the 22-year-old since his arrival on the island have already been given precautionary treatment, she said.

The first recorded case was a 39-year-old Moldovan woman who was confirmed to have the flu-like virus in May after returning from a trip to New York. She has since been released from quarantine after receiving treatment.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.