MAKKAH — A seven-year-old child died of diphtheria in Makkah, leaving her family infected and requiring hospitalization. The child's father said his daughter had suffered from pain in her throat, which then moved to her abdomen. He took her to the Maternity and Children's Hospital where she died. Immediately after the child's burial, her brothers, sisters and mother were experiencing similar symptoms and were rushed to hospital. The lab supervisor at King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah, Abdullah Rabah, said in some cases the disease may affect the heart. He said diphtheria has virtually disappeared in industrialized countries through the DPT vaccination.
