KUALA LUMPUR: It is strange for a trained doctor not to know the difference between the dreaded Spanish Flu and a Spanish fly, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
He said this in reference to the recent Spanish "flu-fly" mix-up by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
In an online interview with comedian Harith Iskander last night, Dr Mahathir was asked if he had ever tried Spanish "fly", to which he burst into laughter.
"I don't have a need for Spanish fly, nor do I have Spanish flu. Neither flu nor fly.
"For a doctor not to know what Spanish fly is, that is very very strange.
"I learned about this when I was studying medicine.
"I have no need for that (Spanish fly)," he said during the interview aired live on both Dr Mahathir's and Harith's Facebook accounts.
The Spanish flu gaffe began after a viral clip of Dr Adham mistakenly referring to the Spanish flu pandemic as "Spanish Fly" several times before correcting himself and referring to it as the "Spanish virus".
The Spanish flu, between 1918-1920, was said to have infected about 500 million people and killed between 17 million and 100 million people.
Spanish Fly, on the other hand, is known as a sexual stimulant - purportedly made from chemicals extracted from an insect bearing the same name.