TAIF: A mysterious, undiagnosed virus has killed a young man in Taif, sent his relative to the intensive care unit and led 13 people from the same family to get checked to ensure they are not affected by the virus. Relatives of Yousif Al-Thaqfi, who expressed concerns about his treatment, said he is on an artificial respiratory system and ventilator. Doctors who examined him said he is suffering from a “unknown” virus, they added. The relatives said Al-Thaqfi has not received good care, complained that 11 patients share the ICU room at the government hospital and expressed fear that he would die because of the poor quality of medical services and facilities. They said they met with the assistant director of the Health Affairs in Taif, who promised to assign a committee of preventative-medicine doctors to look into their complaints and replace the doctor who has been treating Al-Thaqfi. A source at the Health Affairs office in Taif rejected the relatives' allegations and said the patient is receiving exceptional medical care. Dr. Abdul Rahman Krkaman, Director of Health Affairs in Taif, and Saeed Al-Zahrani, the organization's spokesman, could not be reached for comment.
