Mideast swine flu cases rise amid pandemic

Morocco confirmed its first case of swine flu on Friday as Egypt and Saudi Arabia each confirmed three more cases and a major pharmaceutical giant said it had a vaccine ready for trial, a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the world's first pandemic in more than forty years.

Nations around the world said they were ready to combat the spread of the A(H1N1) virus and said while millions could catch the flu they urged people not to panic as officials said the designation of a "moderate" pandemic did not mean the number of deaths from the virus would spike and did not recommend border closures.

Swine flu has so far infected almost 30,000 people in 74 countries and claimed 145 lives since it was first detected in Mexico in April, according to WHO figures.

Middle East

Morocco confirmed its first case of H1N1 in an 18-year-old woman who had returned to her home city of Fes from studying at a university in Canada. The woman arrived on Wednesday on board a Royal Air Maroc flight via Casablanca from Montreal.

"Results of (laboratory exams of a sample) have confirmed the existence of AH1N1 virus on the young woman, whose state of health is currently stable," the Ministry of Health said, as the North African country became the second country in Africa to report a case.

Authorities were providing the required health care to the woman's family and checking whether any of the passengers who were on the flights Montreal-Casablanca and Casablanca-Fes might be infected by the virus.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia announced three more cases after a Saudi father and his three daughters caught the virus off the family's three and a half year old boy.

The child returned to the kingdom, accompanied by his family from the United States last Sunday and had not developed symptoms of the disease upon arrival.

Egypt already hit hard by bird flu confirmed three more cases after the largest Arab nation said it had found cases in the port city of Alexandria and continued to keep a dormitory of the American University of Cairo quarantined.

Egyptian authorities announced that five AUC students, who tested positive for the H1N1 virus earlier in the week, have been completely cured and they left the hospital.

"Huge surge"

Meanwhile several governments took major steps as they warned "several millions" could be infected and predicted a “huge surge” of cases during the Northern Hemisphere's winter season.

Britain's health minister urged people not to panic after a "significant" spike in swine flu cases reached 909 and turned Britain into the worst hit country in Europe.

Health Minister Andy Burnham said: "People who have flu-like symptoms shouldn't panic, but stay at home and check their symptoms using the online symptom checker or the swine flu information line."

Governments closed down schools in a bid to stop the spread of the virus, which the U.N. agency labeled as "unstoppable" and "unpredictable."

People who have flu-like symptoms shouldn't panic, but stay at home and check their symptoms using the online symptom checker or the swine flu information line

British health minister

According to the Britain's Times "it is estimated that a widespread school closure policy could prevent one in seven cases and one in five among children, while reducing infections at the peak of the pandemic by 40 percent."

Residents in Hong Kong were more irritated than fearful by a government decision to shut all primary schools, kindergartens, special schools and childcare centers after the first local cluster of human swine flu was discovered in a secondary school.

The city's residents complained they had to continue to go to work and had nowhere to put their children. Hong Kong suffered from a SARS outbreak in 2003 and the city became a virtual ghost town during the deadly virus, which was much more lethal than the current virus appears to be.

Vaccine

In related news, Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Novartis, announced it had completed a first batch of vaccine for pre-clinical trials and aims to make a version available in about four months.

"Novartis has successfully completed the production of the first batch of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations," the company said in a statement.

The batch "will be used for pre-clinical evaluation and testing and is also being considered for use in clinical trials," it said.

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 WHO said it would ask drug-makers to quickly prepare to produce swine flu vaccines once the production of seasonal flu vaccine ends.

Novartis has successfully completed the production of the first batch of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations

Company statement