Hong Kong Confirms First Swine Flu Case

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-01-voa39.cfm
Hong Kong Confirms First Swine Flu Case
By Heda Bayron
Hong Kong
01 May 2009

Hong Kong has declared a public health emergency, following the first
confirmed case of the Swine influenza A-H1N1 flu in the territory. In
Hong Kong, the top health official vowed to apply "draconian" measures
to contain the spread of the virus.

A 25-year old Mexican tourist who arrived Thursday afternoon in Hong
Kong via Shanghai is the first case of human swine flu in the
territory. The man felt sick hours after arrival and went to the
nearest hospital, where doctors suspected swine flu and quickly
isolated the patient.

Pandemic alert level raised

The swine flu virus was confirmed at eight o'clock Friday night.
Within half an hour Hong Kong's leader Donald Tsang raised the
territory's pandemic alert level from serious to emergency.

Dr. York Chow, secretary of health, says the Metropark Hotel where the
tourist has been staying has been closed. Hotel workers and guests are
now under quarantine for the next 7 days. Police and health personnel
have been deployed to the hotel, located in the city's nightclub area.
The Mexican tourist's companions are also under isolation.

"Since this is the first case in HK we must be very careful as the
chance of controlling and containing this infection is limited," Dr.
Chow said. "We try to be more draconian in our policy. We still do not
know how damaging or how virulent this virus will be and we do not
like this to spread in our community and we do not like it to spread
outside Hong Kong either."

Health workers tracking hotel guests, passengers who may be infected

But health workers are still tracking other hotel guests and nearly
200 passengers who flew on the same China Eastern flight MU505 from
Shanghai.

Chow says more measures will be taken in the next few days, starting
with even tighter surveillance at borders. The Mexican tourist did not
have fever when he came to Hong Kong but complained of sore throat.

In 2003, Hong Kong was struck by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or
SARS, which killed 299 people in the territory and rapidly spread to
several countries. The government then was criticized for its weak and
slow response to the unfolding crisis, which brought economic activity
in the territory to a virtual standstill.

Hong Kong is ready

This time, Hong Kong appears prepared for swine flu. It has stocked 20
million courses of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu, nearly three times its
population of seven million. This week, the government readied
isolation wards at public hospitals, quarantine centers and stepped up
public reminders on maintaining good hygiene.

The swine flu outbreak started in Mexico and quickly spread to many
countries including the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand and
Israel. Health authorities in Asia have already activated pandemic
plans Thursday after the World Health Organization raised its global
alert to its second highest level, warning of an "imminent pandemic".
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