The Ministry of Health said on Friday that three family members of a small boy who tested positive for swine flu also have the virus, bringing to six the number of reported swine flu cases in the Kingdom. The announcement came as Swiss drugs firm Novartis said it has completed a first batch of vaccine for pre-clinical trials and aims to make a version available in about four months. Novartis hopes to start the trials in July and to gain a license soon after. It said more than 30 governments had already asked for A(H1N1) virus “vaccine ingredients.” The Saudi Ministry of Health said in a statement quoted by SPA that the father and two sisters of the three-and-a-half-year-old Saudi boy were diagnosed with A(H1N1) influenza after undergoing tests on Thursday and Friday. The family arrived in Saudi Arabia from the United States last Sunday, according to Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah. The boy tested positive on Thursday. The ministry also urged all passengers arriving on Saudi Arabian Airlines flight (022) on Sunday to report to the Department of Preventive Medicine on telephone No. (01-4875511) Ext. (333/391/392) for examination. The ministry said all necessary measures were being taken to fight the disease declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as pandemic. The National Preventive Plan has come up with certain precautionary measures and recommendations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.
