RIYADH/JEDDAH — An internal medicine doctor working for King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah has contracted swine flu, Al-Watan daily reported.
The doctor was reviewing some cases in the emergency unit when he came down with a sudden fever accompanied by coughing and was taken to an isolation room.
He is recovering well but will continue to undergo treatment.
Meanwhile, an infectious disease consultant has warned against the return of the swine flu, calling for urgent plans to be drawn up to fight the virus.
Dr. Majdi Al-Tookhi said the return of epidemics and viruses such as swine flu and dengue fever was not unexpected.
He said: “We shouldn't take this lightly.
“Fighting these diseases should be done in a strong way.
“Enough with squandering money on purchasing drugs; it's all about prevention.
“We should have an authority to control infectious virus cases to ensure their eradication.”
The Ministry of Health should pass strict laws and restructure the health system in order to provide health insurance to every citizen, he said, adding that it should keep a close eye on the measures taken to fight these viruses.
The number of swine flu death cases was “normal” and close to the ratio of seasonal flu death cases, one in every 50 patients, he said.
“Having a special authority for this purpose is important because it will track down respiratory diseases, come up with the correct diagnosis and develop plans constantly by evaluating any developments that take place regarding the infectious viruses.
Al-Watan also reported the death of a citizen who contracted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.
The patient was in his 90s when he got the disease.
It comes after the Ministry of Health said earlier that coronavirus deaths had recorded a drop in number for the fifth consecutive week.
Only two cases were reported in Makkah and Dhiba this month.
The ministry said it would continue to take precautionary measures despite the fact that the number of deaths was on the decrease.
It urged the public to cooperate in order to fight all infectious diseases. Over the past few weeks, the ministry ran tests on 1,009 samples of coronavirus.
It also announced that 548 coronavirus cases out of 979 recovered and no longer had the virus.
The ministry said it would keep raising public awareness of the virus through its various campaigns.
