The Minister of Health, Dr Hamad bin Abdullah al-Manai inaugurated here today the International Conference on Bird Flu, organized by the King Abdulaziz National Guard Medical City.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Ziad Memish, the Head of the Conference's Organizing Committee, said the conference aims to gather experts and specialists in the field of combating infectious and epidemic diseases.
Dr Abdullah Al-Sharif, the Assistant Undersecretary of the Health Ministry for Preventive Medicine, said the conference will shed light on the bird flu and the required preventive measures to confront it.
He noted that the conference will review the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) plan in this respect.
Meanwhile, Dr Abdulaziz Al-Rabee'a, the Executive Director General of Health Affairs at the National Guard, said the conference is the first of its kind in the Middle East and the second of its kind in the world. He hoped that the conference would yield positive results.
The Minister of Health, Dr Al-Manai said the organization of the conference embodies the Kingdom's keenness on solving health problems.
Dr Al-Manai reiterated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is free from bird flu cases.
"No cases of bird flu were reported in the Kingdom, and preventive measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the disease to the country", he added.
