It's been almost a month since a worrying outbreak of the MERS coronavirus hit a hospital in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. More than 30 people have been infected so far and the number's only climbing as hospitals struggle to contain the infection. Now the country's reporting an overall deathtoll from the lung infection just over 500 — the bulk of a total 1,400 MERS cases worldwide have come from the kingdom since it was discovered there in 2012.
Similar to the SARS virus that swept the world in 2002 and 2003, MERS is a respiratory illness spread by close contact. It has no vaccine, no cure and a nasty fatality rate.
But alas, one Yemeni sheikh says he has the answer to this medical conundrum.
This week Saudi's Twittersphere went wild after one user tweeted out a news article purporting the Saudi of Ministry of Health was seeking help from Salafist Yemeni Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani to find a cure for the deadly virus.
According to the article, Zindani had already found a vaccine, but then again — as this user pointed out — this is also the same fire-beared sheikh who claimed to have a cure for HIV earlier this year.
ورى ما تتواصلون معه لعلاج مرضى الإيدز ؟؟ @Khalid_AlFalih #الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا http://t.co/ZUrg7kh7n8 pic.twitter.com/9vZkttRnYs
— الشيخ طنف (@h_a_m_19) August 31, 2015Translation: Maybe they should also ask for his help with HIV.
A few years ago, the religious preacher released this video about his cure for AIDS and HIV. Lifesaving tips he'd be willing to share... so long as the US took him off the designated terrorist list first. Here's that video below. Via YouTube.
Naturally, the tweet bore fruitful viral content in Twitter-rich Saudi. Tweets about it massed Monday under the hashtag #الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا (Ministry of Heath asks Zindani's help to stop Coronavirus)
Here's the golden picks.
#الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا لا ندري أنضحك أم نبكي على هذا الخبر !!!
— عبدالله ال شريه (@abadi1289) August 31, 2015
Translation: I really don't know whether to laugh or cry at such news.
#الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا مو مهم شنو شهادتك؟والا وين درست؟والا الأبحاث اللي ساهمت فيها؟ المهم انك تربي لحية وتحفظ آيتين وتصير عالم
— Hoda Alfadli (@H_Fahaid) August 31, 2015Translation: only in KSA, your certificate, research and experience do not count, as long as you have a long beard and memorize one or two verses of Quran, you are a scientist.
#الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا العلاج عبارة عن خلطة "شوي بول على خمس قطرات تفال على عشر نقاط ابو فاس"
— maha (@maha552_) August 31, 2015Translation: The new vaccine is a few pee drops with 10 spits and there you have a curing formula.
اعتقد ان هذا البغل لا يعرف كيف يغسل مؤخرته وهو مقدس عن قطيعه المبارك فقط.. #الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا
— أبو سعفان..!! (@mobyy7060) August 31, 2015Translation: The guy does not even know how to wash his own ass, and he is believed by his stupid followers only.
#الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا طيب الزنداني من فترة اكتشف للايدز.. وينه الحين؟؟
— خالد (@abum7md1) August 31, 2015
Translation: Isn’t he the same guy who created a cure for HIV!!!!! By the way what happened with it?
مع اني شاك بالموضوع والزنداني اخترع علاج بدون تجارب ولا قابل مرضى وفحصهم بس عطوه فرصة وش أنتم خسرانين ! #الصحة_تلجأ_للزنداني_لإيقاف_كورونا
— مستقعد (@Yousef_Designer) August 31, 2015Translation: I have my doubts, but why not give the man a chance maybe it will work.
