The United Arab Emirates in the Gulf has its first confirmed case of A(H1N1) or swine flu, UAE Health Minister Hanif Hassan said on Sunday.

The official WAM news agency quoted the minister as saying a man who had flown in from Canada was being treated in hospital, and that although he was no longer showing symptoms he would be kept in for treatment for 10 days.

None of the other passengers from the same flight had shown any symptoms of the disease, the minister added. The patient's nationality has not been disclosed.

In midweek the UAE health ministry announced that a passenger recently arrived from Canada who showed symptoms of swine flu had been quarantined for tests.

WAM did not say at the time which of the region's two international airports he had transited - in the capital Abu Dhabi or in Dubai, a trade and tourism hub.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates in which foreigners make up more than 80 percent of the 6.4-million-strong population, has introduced thermal cameras at airports in a bid to catch possible swine flu cases on arrival.