Fear grips Gaza amid first swine flu deaths

Hospital masks and anti-bacterial hand gel vanished from shelves in the Gaza Strip as fear gripped the besieged Hamas-ruled territory after the first deaths of swine flu.
A well-known surgeon, Dr. Mahmud al-Haddad, 35, was the fourth in two days to die of the A(H1N1) virus after the first cases were confirmed on Sunday, according to a Gaza medical official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Medics have so far confirmed 19 out of 40 suspected cases of the disease, the official said. Haddad was among four patients who were transferred to Israel for treatment on Monday.
"The health situation is in a state of emergency in medical centres and hospitals in Gaza, and our doctors are working around the clock despite the strict siege and the lack of medical necessities," the official said....
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Picture Left:A Palestinian doctor checks an X-ray at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.(AFP)