Hong Kong reports 1st confirmed swine flu in Asia

[pablomorgan]

5 minutes ago

HONG KONG (AP) ? Hong Kong leader says territory has detected swine flu, in Asia's first confirmed case.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gnKz6JKf1o0Bic6UrduEAAlxyQ1wD97TF4O81

[Shiloh]

Re: Hong Kong reports 1st confirmed swine flu in Asia

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...qyQ&refer=asia

Hong Kong Confirms Swine Flu Case, Declares Emergency (Update4)

By Hanny Wan

May 1 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong confirmed its first swine flu case today, prompting the government to declare a public health emergency.

The unidentified man flew into the city yesterday from Shanghai on China Eastern Airlines Flight 505 after originally departing from Mexico, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said. The University of Hong Kong confirmed the infection at 8 p.m. today.

?I?d urge Hong Kong citizens to not panic,? Tsang said at a news conference. ?School classes, public exhibitions, economic activities can all proceed as usual.

?I want to emphasize that I?d rather take a stricter approach than missing the opportunity to contain the virus before it spreads.?

The patient is in Ruttonjee Hospital in the city?s Wanchai district, Tsang said. The infected man was staying at the nearby Metro Park Hotel, which police cordoned off.

One man wearing a surgical mask was seen carrying boxes labeled ?Tamiflu? into the hotel lobby. Hong Kong has 20 million doses of Tamiflu, made by Roche Holding AG, and other anti-flu medicines in stock, the South China Morning Post reported April 27.

The World Health Organization lifted its six-tier alert to 5 on April 29 and said a move to the next and final level, for the world?s first influenza pandemic since 1968, may soon be made. The virus, known formally as influenza A (H1N1), has reached 11 countries and is confirmed to have infected more than 250 people, according to the WHO?s Web site.

Hundreds more cases are suspected in New York, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Hong Kong is ?well-equipped? to handle a swine flu outbreak because of its experience with the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2003, Tsang said yesterday.

That outbreak killed 299 people in Hong Kong and 774 worldwide. Travel to Asia plunged.

The city will spend HK$10 million ($1.3 million) on extra cleaning of hospitals, public housing estates, schools and offices.

To contact the reporter on this story: Hanny Wan in Hong Kong at hwan3@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: May 1, 2009 09:36 EDT

[Barry Bull]

1st H1N1 case confirmed in HK

1st H1N1 case confirmed in HK
http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/h...501en05004.htm
*

Chief Executive Donald Tsang says Hong Kong's response level has been raised from "serious" to "emergency" as a confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1) - previously known as "swine flu" - has been found in the city.



Speaking to reporters tonight, Mr Tsang said the 25-year-old Mexican man travelled from Mexico to Hong Kong through Shanghai yesterday. The patient developed fever and sought medical treatment at Ruttonjee Hospital.



Initial test results indicated it was a suspected Influenza A (H1N1) case and further investigations by the University of Hong Kong confirmed it as the city's first case.



The patient is stable and is being isolated in hospital. Metropark Hotel in Wan Chai where the patient had stayed before seeking treatment has been quarantined.



The Chief Executive will chair a steering committee to determine ways to stem the virus's spread, and he urged the public not to panic.



Noting normal public activities such as school classes and economic activities can continue as usual, he urged people to enhance measures to guard against the virus.



Patient contacts urged to come forward

The Centre for Health Protection is urging Metropark Hotel staff and guests, and passengers of China Eastern Airlines flight MU505 that arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai at 12:49pm yesterday, to call its hotline, 2125 1111.



With the co-operation of the hotel and the airline, the centre is tracing all 200-plus hotel guests, 100 or so hotel staff, and the passengers onboard the flight. It is also tracing two taxi drivers: one who took the man from the airport to the hotel, and one who drove the man from the hotel to Ruttonjee Hospital last night.



Anyone who had come into contact with the patient - including passengers who sat in the three rows directly in front and the three directly behind - and hotel guests will be quarantined for seven days.



At a press briefing that began after 9pm today, Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow appealed to these people to come forward.



"If you are watching, listening, I hope you understand that we all care for your health and the possibility of you spreading the swine flu to your family, your friends and other residents of the hotel. We know this is an inconvenience to you, but if you co-operate and look after yourself well, you will not catch the virus, and stay healthy. We will try to give as much support to you as possible so you can maintain your health," he said.