Swine flu testing banned in Dubai

The swine flu virus, which is set for a 2nd wave of infection over the coming months, has lead to some controversy in Dubai. The government there has begun to clamp down on private testing of vaccinations. The testing has previously caused a large amount of predatory pricing, which play on people’s fears and paranoia to generate sales and revenue.

One hospital was said to have been charging up to £170 for a single swine flu test, which had in fact been unnecessary in a number of cases. The Ministry of Health within Dubai have threatened to pass a ruling which will ban all private hospitals from undertaking private testing, with a fixed penalty as a deterrent.

In relation, the World Health Organisation have publicly announced that those of us who suffer with flu like symptoms, without experiencing any other underlying conditions, do not require any testing for the H1N1 virus and would not necessarily need Tamiflu or Relenza.

The organisation also expressed their concerns about the growing problem of spam mail, advertising cheaper alternatives and fake Tamiflu and Relenza. This is worrying given that experts have now predicted that over 50% of the sales of Tamiflu and Relenza online, involve counterfeit products.

By Jo Keyte