Abid Hussain, of Winson Green, lost battle against Sars-like bug in hospital on Tuesday
Birmingham grandad Abid Hussain has become the UK’s second victim to the new Sars-like bug Coronavirus.
The tragedy comes as Mr Hussain’s wife and daughter were in Pakistan after burying his son Khalid, 38, who had also fallen victim to the killer disease.
The dad-of-two, in his 60s, of Winson Green, was being treated at Wythenshawe Hospital, in Manchester, and seemed to be improving.
But he took a turn for the worse and lost his battle on Tuesday.
His funeral was held at a mosque in Small Heath, on Wednesday and his body has now been taken to Pakistan for burial.
Close friend Abdul Rashid, 60, had known Mr Hussain for more than 20 years and described him as a “wise and gentle man”.
He said: “I am very upset that he has died. It is a great shock to the family and the community. His wife and daughter were still in Pakistan dealing with the son’s burial and were planning to come back when Abid died.
“It was a shock to discover he was suffering from this terrible disease when he came back from Mecca. His daughter had gone out there with him, but was given the all clear.”
Mr Hussain had contracted the disease after a trip to Saudi Arabia with his daughter. He complained of a temperature and chest problems to his friend Abdul upon his return at the end of January and within a few days he was admitted to City Hospital, in Birmingham.
It’s thought during this period that his son, dad-of-two Khalid, suffering from cancer, picked up the bug from his father.
Khalid was undergoing chemotherapy at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Edgbaston. He continued to be treated there for both conditions and sadly died on February 17.
It’s thought Mr Hussain never knew that his son had passed away.
Abdul explained: “I spoke with Abid on the phone two days after he came back from Saudi Arabia. He was complaining of a temperature and chest problems. I told him to go and see the doctor, and then said I would speak to him again afterwards.
“But I didn’t get to as he was admitted to hospital. I went to see him but he was unconscious.
“It was a few days later that the hospital realised what was wrong and he was transferred to the hospital in Manchester for specialist care. I was kept updated on his condition and went to see him there.”
And he paid tribute to his friend: “Abid was a very wise man who had an extremely gentle personality. We’d been friends for more than 20 years and we knew each other through family. His son Khalid also lived in Birmingham before moving to Rotherham.”
The first patients infected with the coronavirus fell ill in Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia last year, but the source of the infection remains unknown, despite missions by the World Health Organisation and other international groups. As with Sars, the virus has most likely jumped from bats into other animals, in this case perhaps goats or other livestock, which have gone on to infect humans.
It has infected at least 15 people since it emerged in the Middle East last year – more than half of whom have died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure, symptoms that were common in Sars patients.
A Wythenshawe Hospital spokesman confirmed Mr Hussain had died on Tuesday.