Basra hospital says lacks equipment to examine pigs

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Basra’s veterinary hospital on Sunday said that it lacks the necessary medical equipment to examine pigs that show symptoms of influenza A (H1N1) infection. “We also call for financial support and the provision of necessary equipment…,” the director of the hospital, Moshtaq Abdulmahdi, told IraqiNews.com news agency. “A dead pig was found on a main street in al-Qarna district (100 km north of Basra). A team comprised of hospital medics has been set up to burn and bury the body,” Abdulmahdi noted. The director explained that the reason behind the death remains unknown. On Wednesday (April 29), the Iraqi Ministry of Health said that Iraq still is free of swine flu. Influenza A (H1N1) symptoms are similar to those produced by ordinary seasonal flu. A few days ago, Abdulmahdi warned that the virus may enter the country through waterways and ports The Shiite city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS (S) 1