Swine flu in the UAE

Since the pandemic first started in April this year, the UAE government has only reported a very few incidents of the flu in the country. However I have recently been informed by hospital staff that this is not the case and that swine flu is a serious problem now in the country. As the weather has cooled in the middle east and made a more suitable environment for the virus to spread, the country is now having large numbers taken ill with the flu.

As I said I have been informed by hospital staff that swine flu is more serious than the public are made to believe, where in one day in the city of Al Ain a total of 6 people died from the virus. I must conclude that with two large cities in the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) that the actual number of cases must be very large, when the public have only been made aware of a handful of cases across the country.

In my opinion, I believe that the government has been decietful due to the panic that it would cause as it is a muslim country and believe that pigs are dirty and unclean animal. As a westerner living in a muslim country I can clearly see the concern and fear that many Arabs and muslims have with the flu, but I hope that the government will tell the true extent as this can potentially lull the population into a false sense of security, and think that they can't get the virus because it's not here.