Five die of swine flu in West Bank

Five die of swine flu in West BankRamallah - Five Palestinians have died of the swine flu virus in different town in the West Bank in recent days, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced Monday.

They are the first Palestinians fatalities of the virus.

A further 100 Palestinians are infected with the virus and are receiving treatment in West Bank hospitals, As'ad el-Ramlawi, the ministry's director of first aid, said in a statement.

He said one two of the fatalities came from Nablus, one from Ramallah, one form Hebron and one from Bethlehem.

"The number of casualties is expected to increase especially in this season of the year, where it is fall and winter," el-Ramlawi said. He added that his ministry is exerting efforts to treat all the cases and prevent more infections with the disease.

No swine flu cases have been announced in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Hamas movement and which has been under Israeli blockade since June 2006. (dpa)