Egypt Reports 115 Swine Flu Deaths

 Cairo: Three new deaths were reported as a result of the virus known as H1N1 on Monday raising the number of swine flu deaths to 115 in Egypt. A statement by the Ministry of Health said that the 113^thcase is a  55 year-old man from Suez, the 114^th is a 37 year-old woman from Fayoum and the 115^th case is a 41 year-old woman from the Red Sea Governorate.

The Ministry of Health announced on Friday that Egypt has received around 4 million doses of the vaccination against swine flu in a shipment coming from Canada as part of a campaign to vaccinate students of schools and universities against the virus, which is set to begin next week.

A ministry spokesman told Al Dostoor newspaper that negotiations are continuing with the French government to purchase its surplus vaccines in an attempt to buy as much as possible to vaccinate the largest number of Egyptians in order to prevent the spread of the disease. He stated that the ministry seeks to buy 150,000 doses from France.

To date, Egypt has reported over 4,000 cases of swine flu, making it one of the worst affected nations in the Middle East and North Africa.

**reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salam