HEALTH Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba of the “air suam” fiasco did it again, this time confusing a deadly influenza pandemic, the Spanish Flu for a sexual stimulant, much to netizens’ amusement and disgust.
#SpanishFly trended on Twitter, where in a viral video, Adham can be heard saying that in the 1916, the Spanish “fly” had killed about a million people around the world and the pandemic lasted for two years.
“What did we do wrong to end up having a buffoon as the Minister of Health?” complained user Afiq H.
Netizen Eugene Chung, meanwhile, wondered if anybody would want to listen to someone who cannot differentiate between a Spanish Fly and Spanish Flu.
“This is the Minister of Health Adham Baba who also said drinking warm water will stop COVID-19 infection.”
The Spanish flu was a deadly pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus that had infected 500 million people – about a third of the world’s population at that time – in four successive waves from 1918 to April 1920.
As for the Spanish Fly, it is a name for a female aphrodisiac substance, used among some women to increase sexual desire.
Joining the chat, former Education Minister Maszlee Malik highlighted that the “Spanish Fly” was also the name of a wrestling finishing move.
“Dangerous move,” he said.
In wrestling, a “Spanish Fly”, or a “moonsault” is a move that sees an opponent being brought down from the top rope with a somersault.
“This is terrible. Obviously, he has a problem with the English language and terminology when he does not know the difference between ‘Spanish Flu’ and ‘Spanish Fly’,” wrote user Elsie Low.
Comedian Jason Leong also lend his two cents’ worth to the unfortunate gaffe.
“The Spanish Fly was a serious plague in 1916 first discovered by our Health Minister before he was born. It spread to 500 countries and was discovered that the Spanish Fly virus could be destroyed by drinking warm water,” he wrote.
Leong was referring to Adham’s two previous infamous gaffes – when he said that the World Health Organization (WHO) comprised of “500 countries”, and erroneously suggested that drinking warm water would prevent COVID-19 infection. – July 12, 2021.
