Expatriates returning to the UAE from abroad will not be required to produce a medical certificate proving that they are not affected by swine flu, the country's Health Ministry said today, denying earlier media reports in this regard.

"The news about this issue is completely untrue," Ali bin Shuker, Director of the Health Ministry, said in a statement.

Earlier, a media report had said that expats will be required to present a medical certificate proving they are not affected by swine flu before returning to the country.

"Without this certificate, any person with swine flu symptoms will be prohibited from entering the country," the Gulf News quoted a source from the National Committee for Combating Swine Flu as saying.

Shuker said the Ministry was handling issues regarding the disease with "transparency and clarity". He added that the Ministry is keeping the public informed through its weekly update issued on Mondays or through interviews given by officials to TV and radio stations.

The UAE has recorded around 125 cases of the virus, according to Health Ministry figures and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) the virus has infected 134,503 people and killed 816 world over.