Four new cases of khamra virus in Najran
NAJRAN - The region of Najran has recorded four new cases of khamra as the Ministry of Health increases its efforts to contain the virus.
The ministry released a statement Wednesday saying that the virus has been present in the region for a number of years and that the source was infected cattle.
The symptoms, according to the ministry, begin with a sudden fever and lead to nervous disorder.
The ministry reassured the public that “there is no cause for concern”, saying that the virus had only affected a small number of people and does not spread rapidly, and that the Preventative Medicine department at the ministry was working with the Faculty of Medicine of King Abdulaziz University on field studies to combat the virus.
The ministry statement does not cite the number of cases of the virus other than to say that four new cases have occurred. These cases are being treated at King Khaled Hospital, according to a lecture on the khamra virus given Wednesday at the same hospital by ministerial consultant Tariq Ahmed Madani.
The municipal council of Najran is scheduled to discuss ways of fighting the virus on Monday.
The father of a girl who contracted the virus last month said she was admitted to King Khaled Hospital’s intensive care unit where she remained for more than ten days before her condition was regarded as safe. His daughter was finally discharged from hospital last Monday.
Local residents say the issue has been kept quiet by the authorities since last year and that the failure to put into action a preventative program has exacerbated the problem.
© The Saudi Gazette 2009
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