DENGUE DANGER IN MAKKAH

There is a danger of the outbreak of dengue fever in Makkah after a number of suspected cases arrived at the city’s hospitals, causing concern among both Saudi and foreign residents. Four cases of dengue fever have been detected in Al-Omdah district near Al-Nour Mount. Several other cases of the fever were reported from other parts of the city. However, Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said the fears of a dengue outbreak were not justified. “The situation is not so bad. We are doing all that we can to wipe out mosquitoes from the city,” he said. Faiq Hussein, spokesman for the Health Department, admitted that some people in Makkah had caught the disease but other so-called cases were doubtful. He said field teams were fumigating houses and streets in Makkah in order to prevent an outbreak.