Bahrain has switched tactics to fight swine flu on a new frontier. It is no longer treating the H1N1 virus as an external threat and is fighting it nationwide on home ground.

All patients reporting to government or private hospitals and clinics with a fever and flu-like symptoms will automatically be treated as possible swine flu victims and given anti-viral treatment (Tamiflu).

High-risk patients with flu-like symptoms will be given Tamiflu even if they do not have a fever, it was announced yesterday.

These include pregnant women, children aged under five, people with heart disease, sickle cell or suffering from obesity and others.

All will be treated and sent home - only those who appear to be seriously ill will be isolated and actually tested for swine flu, under new Health Ministry orders to all hospitals and clinics.

"This is part of a new protocol we have implemented from last Sunday," said Health Ministry disease control section head Dr Muna Al Mousawi.

"This 'dynamically changing' protocol has been implemented specifically in keeping with the rapidly changing situation in the country.

"No longer will it be necessary for doctors to know where people came from and who they had been in contact with. The only 'condition' is they should have flu symptoms and a fever."

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has ordered one million doses of swine flu vaccine from British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.

A first batch of 40,000 doses for pilgrims, students with chronic diseases, medical staff and pregnant women, will be available by mid-October, ministry under-secretary for primary health care Dr Mariam Al Jalahma said.

Other batches will be delivered in February and March next year. -TradeArabia News Service