Al-Marsad newspaper: Allergy, asthma and immunology consultant, Harb Al-Herfi Al-Balawi, revealed the details of the first two cases of HIV infection (AIDS) in the Kingdom, one of which was a child from the Eastern Province, and the other was a soldier.
American Embassy
Al-Balawi said, during his appearance on the “Mikhal” program, that AIDS at that time was a frightening and worrying matter, noting that he wrote a scientific paper about the two cases and published it in an American medical journal. He added that he received a call from the American embassy, where an official asked to meet him and offered him a copy of the research before he officially received it.
American intelligence
He explained that when he asked him how he obtained the copy, he told him that it had come to him from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Political film
He added that the embassy official wanted to know what he meant by the title of the scientific paper, which was titled “AIDS in the Kingdom…the link between Saudi Arabia and America,” especially in light of the existence of a political film at the time that dealt with espionage issues. Al-Balawi confirmed that he explained to them that what was meant by the title was purely medical, as the two cases contracted the disease as a result of a blood transfusion imported from America, without any political significance or dimensions.
