30 dead as swine flu spreads in Ahwaz; doctors warn of epidemic

Ahwazna

Thirty Ahwazi Arabs have reportedly died so far of swine flu, with doctors at hospitals in the region warning that the actual death toll is probably higher since Iranian authorities are deliberately minimising the casualty numbers in order to avoid any outbreaks of public unrest.

According to medical sources in Ahwaz, Iranian authorities have failed to take the necessary preventive measures to halt the spread of the epidemic, putting the people of the region at further grave risk. 

The disease initially appeared in the cities of Abadan, Falahiyeh, Khafajeh and Hamidieh before spreading to another town, Quneitra (Dezful).

Medics are warning that the massive overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions in which Ahwazi Arabs are deliberately maintained by the regime are hastening the infection rates, with large numbers of people already hospitalised due to contracting the disease.