Abu Dhabi, August 25: The Ministry of Health said on Monday it was investigating the death of a Qatari citizen who is said to have contracted the H1N1 virus during a visit to the UAE.
It is not clear how or where he contracted it, but the deceased is reported to have visited an unnamed hospital in the UAE before returning to his homeland. State news agency Wam, quoting a health ministry source, said investigations so far show the deceased Qatari national had also visited a hospital in Qatar prior to his UAE visit.
However, he is not reported to have not tested positive before arriving in the UAE. The health ministry is following up with its Qatari counterpart to obtain more information and confirm the accuracy of data it has received.
Upon his death in the first week of August, the media in Qatar had called it the first in the country to swine flu-related causes.
Media reports in Qatar said the man was in the UAE the week prior and had visited a hospital twice, but the infection remained undetected.
–Agencies