The Ministry of Health affirmed that there are no cholera cases in Kuwait. The Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Dr. Yousef AlـNisf said that all hospitals and clinics are under strict supervision. The Environment Public Authority (EPA) also denied the existence of bacteria that cause cholera while the General Manager of EPA Ali Haidar stated that the authority has advanced laboratories and equipment that can detect any bacteria. Some patients have however noticed that the Tamiflu medicine given to them by the Ministry of Health to combat the A(H1N1) virus will expire this month.
The Director General of the Public Environment Authority (EPA) Dr. Salah AlـMudhi has announced that Kuwait will start operating a temporary station to pump sewage water, the official spokesman for the technical committee on problems at the Mishref station, said. Dr. Salah AlـMudhi told KUNA the temporary station "will pump some 15 percent of sewage water at record speed," adding, "the new station will take a great burden off tankers." He said another temporary station would be established in the next couple of days to pump an additional 15 percent of sewage water, adding that this would lessen the dumping of sewage water into the sea to reduce pollution. Mudhi said that all specialized government institutions are working around the clock to resolve this problem to guarantee the safety of the public. He pointed out that a "Korean team is due here to work on solving this problem," adding, "EPA will continue to monitor beaches and test sea water samples for pollutants.
Meanwhile, the United Gulf Constructions Company denied any connection with the mishap at the Mishref sewage station, and asserted that the Ministry of Public Works received and operated the project in August, after it constructed the station according to the designs prepared by a consultant office. The company''s officials said that the construction was carried out under the supervision of representatives of the ministry, and that the malfunctions occurred after the ministry took over the station. The company noted that it had officially warned the ministry of some shortcomings and had offered some recommendations to provide some equipment and control machines in the electricity room that controls the pumps, especially since the temperature should not exceed 25 degrees C. This, they said, was the cause of the malfunction in the pumps.
In another development, the Ministry of Education announced it will soon review the bids to open clinics in schools. The ministry''s Undersecretary Tamader AlـSederawy announced that the medical equipment used in combating A(H1N1) virus is scheduled to arrive next week, and that 20 clinics in each educational zone will be prepared and operated by the Ministry of Health by the beginning of the year. This comes at a time when the Ministry of Health has notified the Ministry of Education that it intends to withdraw its medical staff after three months. Private education schools welcomed their students back to school Tuesday to start the new academic year. The minister asserted that she explained to the MPs all the precautionary measures taken to handle the A(H1N1) virus, and promised them that she would consider all the parliamentary recommendations regarding opening schools gradually.

Alwatan Daily