Long Live King Fahd

With quotes like this, one can almost assume the worst:

Saudi Arabia's King Fahd's health is "steadily improving", Interior Minister Prince Nayef said on Sunday. "Thank God his health is steadily improving," he said without giving details. His comments were carried on the official Saudi Press Agency.

King Fahd was taken to hospital on Friday for tests and treatment for respiratory problems amid rising concern about his condition.

Officials said he was suffering from high fever, pneumonia and respiratory complications. One would almost think he'd received his Meningococcal Vaccine. If he's not back at school by Wednesday, I think the NZ Health Dept has a lot of explaining to do.

The Health Department were quick to explain that if Fahd had received the vaccine, he may well have caught the flu in any event. They dismissed the possibility that the vaccine might make Fahd more susceptible to the flu, or affect him more severely than otherwise. "That's absolute nonsense" said a Health Department Official. "There is absolutely no way the vaccine could amplify the flu or any bug simply by getting the injection"

However, as a precaution they advised Fahd's parents to fully read the pamphlets and hold the King back if he had the slightest of sniffles, as having the vaccine at the same time could amplify the effects of the flu. They did stress however, that the symptoms experienced would only be in line with scientific evidence, which were much milder than when one caught the flu with annecdotal evidence.

Unfortunately for King Fahd, his parents were dead at the time, and so the warnings on the pamphlets were ignored. Let us hope he pulls through.