Hong Kong Closes ALL Primary Schools on Swine Flu Cluster (Update1)
By Theresa Tang and Kelvin Wong
June 11 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong suspended classes at all primary schools, kindergartens and childcare centers for 14 days from tomorrow after a confirmed cluster of swine flu cases, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said.
“The government is well prepared” and will monitor developments closely, he said in a televised press conference today. “There’s no need to panic,” he said.
Tsang said that 12 pupils at a secondary school were confirmed to have contracted H1N1 influenza. Classes at that school have also been suspended for at least 14 days. Hong Kong also confirmed its first locally contracted case in a 55-year- old man yesterday. The man had gone to a cocktail party, organized by the international law firm Lovells LLP, attended by someone with swine flu.
Education Secretary Michael Suen said the government will decide on or before June 23 whether to end or continue the suspension of classes.
Hong Kong quarantined 351 people for seven days in a downtown hotel last month after the city’s first confirmed swine flu case. As of yesterday, the territory had 49 confirmed cases. Secretary for Food and Health York Chow is scheduled to hold a press briefing this afternoon.
Lo Wing-lok, a member of a government advisory committee on emerging diseases, said that secondary schools should be monitored closely too.
Public Places
“High school students have more freedom to go around public places and be in contact with potential infectious sources,” he said in an interview.
According to Health Secretary Chow, the city government will order 5 million doses of vaccine at an estimated cost of HK$700 million ($90 million) to prepare the city for a “more serious winter influenza”.
An emergency committee of experts advising the World Health Organization on a possible pandemic will discuss the current swine flu threat at a meeting starting at noon Geneva time today, WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said.
It’s possible the panel may discuss raising the WHO’s six- step level of pandemic alert, Thompson said by telephone today. health ministry said.
Seventy-four countries have reported 27,737 swine flu cases, 141 of which were fatal, the WHO said yesterday. Mexico and the U.S. account for about three-quarters of confirmed infections worldwide. Only Canada, Chile, Australia and the U.K. have officially reported more than 500 cases.
The WHO estimates seasonal flu causes up to 500,000 deaths a year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Theresa Tang in Hong Kong at ttang3@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: June 11, 2009 02:07 EDT
China, Tibet, HK, Mongolia, Taiwan, Viet Nam, Thailand et al
Moderators: yankee-in-france, Fashionista
China, Tibet, HK, Mongolia, Taiwan, Viet Nam, Thailand et al
by Eliza » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:06 am
Last edited by Eliza on Wed Nov 11, 2009 11:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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by Eliza » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:21 am
HK confirms first local H1N1 cluster, shuts schools
Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:37am EDT
HONG KONG, June 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong confirmed its first local cluster of H1N1 cases on Thursday and said it would close all childcare centres and primary schools for two weeks.
"Twelve students at St Paul's are infected. As we can't find the source, we have determined that Hong Kong now has its first local spread (cluster) of the disease," Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters.
"In accordance with our plans, all kindergartens, primary schools, childcare centres and special schools will be suspended for 14 days from tomorrow," Tsang said.
The decision comes as the World Health Organization is poised to declare a global flu pandemic after a spike in H1N1 cases in Australia, which has recorded 1,263 cases of the new flu virus. Five people there have been admitted to intensive care.
There have been 27,737 cases reported in 74 countries to date, including 141 deaths, according to WHO's latest tally.
While the H1N1 flu virus appears generally mild, it is a little more contagious and severe than seasonal flu.
An unusually high proportion of those infected and hospitalised with serious illness also happen to be young adults, teenagers and older children.
Seasonal flu, in contrast, is usually more severe in very young children, people over the age of 65 and people with chronic disease.
"If we don't stop classes, the disease will spread among students and into the community. Experience overseas has shown that shutting schools can slow the spread of the disease and reduce the pressure on hospitals," Tsang said.
Education secretary Michael Suen urged parents to restrain the activities of their children for the next two weeks.
"We appeal to parents not to bring their children to places where there are other children, like amusement centres," he said.
Robert Booy, who heads Sydney University's immune research and surveillance centre, thinks school closures can be useful.
"If you cut people out of the exposure and have them at home for a number of days, you can make a difference," Booy said.
"Shutting schools can be extremely effective ... to slow the spread. Hospitals and local doctors can cope (better) with seeing 50 people a day rather than 150."
"By slowing things down, the whole health mechanism can work better, and business goes on operating. If you have a few people off sick, you can still do good business. But when half your workforce is off sick, then you can't continue your business." (Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Valerie Lee)
Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:37am EDT
HONG KONG, June 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong confirmed its first local cluster of H1N1 cases on Thursday and said it would close all childcare centres and primary schools for two weeks.
"Twelve students at St Paul's are infected. As we can't find the source, we have determined that Hong Kong now has its first local spread (cluster) of the disease," Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters.
"In accordance with our plans, all kindergartens, primary schools, childcare centres and special schools will be suspended for 14 days from tomorrow," Tsang said.
The decision comes as the World Health Organization is poised to declare a global flu pandemic after a spike in H1N1 cases in Australia, which has recorded 1,263 cases of the new flu virus. Five people there have been admitted to intensive care.
There have been 27,737 cases reported in 74 countries to date, including 141 deaths, according to WHO's latest tally.
While the H1N1 flu virus appears generally mild, it is a little more contagious and severe than seasonal flu.
An unusually high proportion of those infected and hospitalised with serious illness also happen to be young adults, teenagers and older children.
Seasonal flu, in contrast, is usually more severe in very young children, people over the age of 65 and people with chronic disease.
"If we don't stop classes, the disease will spread among students and into the community. Experience overseas has shown that shutting schools can slow the spread of the disease and reduce the pressure on hospitals," Tsang said.
Education secretary Michael Suen urged parents to restrain the activities of their children for the next two weeks.
"We appeal to parents not to bring their children to places where there are other children, like amusement centres," he said.
Robert Booy, who heads Sydney University's immune research and surveillance centre, thinks school closures can be useful.
"If you cut people out of the exposure and have them at home for a number of days, you can make a difference," Booy said.
"Shutting schools can be extremely effective ... to slow the spread. Hospitals and local doctors can cope (better) with seeing 50 people a day rather than 150."
"By slowing things down, the whole health mechanism can work better, and business goes on operating. If you have a few people off sick, you can still do good business. But when half your workforce is off sick, then you can't continue your business." (Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Valerie Lee)
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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by Eliza » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:53 pm
Parents back Hong Kong flu action
By Vaudine England
BBC News, Hong Kong
The Hong Kong government is closing all its nurseries and primary schools for two weeks after the confirmation that 12 students at one school caught the swine flu virus.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang dashed back from a trip in China the night before.
Mr Tsang said there was no need to panic, only to stay alert. The closure is intended to slow the spread of the disease, he said.
To highlight how seriously the government was taking the issue, he chose to announce the school closure personally - just in time for lunchtime news bulletins.
'Sympathetic'
Hong Kong's parents are broadly supportive of the government's move - although one parent said "the word 'overreaction' comes to mind".
“ Hong Kong is already at the highest emergency alert level ”
York Chow Yat-ngok Secretary for Food and Health
Criticism that the government is being heavy-handed has been muted however. In this crowded metropolis, the public fear of infection is high.
"I think it's fine because it's a precautionary measure," said senior policeman Ken Pemberton, a father of four schoolchildren.
"Most people in Hong Kong are sympathetic to what the government is doing because of our experience with Sars," he added.
That was the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome which killed 300 people in 2003, many of them nurses and doctors.
Sars was a shocking experience for this densely populated territory, and the government was criticised for not acting decisively or fast enough.
In an interesting twist of fate, the health minister through that crisis was Margaret Chan, now the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Now the government, losing popularity over recent political missteps, is taking centre stage on protecting the public's health.
On high alert
The Centre for Health Protection is interviewing everyone at St Paul's Convent School - where the new cluster of 12 cases has been found - to check if there is any overseas link.
SWINE FLU - THE BASICS
Symptoms usually similar to seasonal flu
It is a new version of the H1N1 strain which caused the 1918 flu pandemic
Current treatments do work, but there is no vaccine
Good personal hygiene, such as washing hands, covering nose when sneezing advised
If this outbreak can be traced to an imported infection, officials and parents might feel easier.
But Mr Tsang made clear that local infection was inevitable, sooner or later, for a place as open as Hong Kong.
Almost 50 people in Hong Kong have had swine flu, all of them imported.
The government said this week that even if the WHO declares a pandemic, it would not affect Hong Kong much as it was already operating under that assumption.
Dr York Chow Yat-ngok, the Secretary for Food and Health, said: "No matter what their decision will be, Hong Kong is already at the highest emergency alert level. Also, we have already made some long-term arrangements."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 094836.stm
Published: 2009/06/11 11:47:24 GMT
By Vaudine England
BBC News, Hong Kong
The Hong Kong government is closing all its nurseries and primary schools for two weeks after the confirmation that 12 students at one school caught the swine flu virus.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang dashed back from a trip in China the night before.
Mr Tsang said there was no need to panic, only to stay alert. The closure is intended to slow the spread of the disease, he said.
To highlight how seriously the government was taking the issue, he chose to announce the school closure personally - just in time for lunchtime news bulletins.
'Sympathetic'
Hong Kong's parents are broadly supportive of the government's move - although one parent said "the word 'overreaction' comes to mind".
“ Hong Kong is already at the highest emergency alert level ”
York Chow Yat-ngok Secretary for Food and Health
Criticism that the government is being heavy-handed has been muted however. In this crowded metropolis, the public fear of infection is high.
"I think it's fine because it's a precautionary measure," said senior policeman Ken Pemberton, a father of four schoolchildren.
"Most people in Hong Kong are sympathetic to what the government is doing because of our experience with Sars," he added.
That was the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome which killed 300 people in 2003, many of them nurses and doctors.
Sars was a shocking experience for this densely populated territory, and the government was criticised for not acting decisively or fast enough.
In an interesting twist of fate, the health minister through that crisis was Margaret Chan, now the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Now the government, losing popularity over recent political missteps, is taking centre stage on protecting the public's health.
On high alert
The Centre for Health Protection is interviewing everyone at St Paul's Convent School - where the new cluster of 12 cases has been found - to check if there is any overseas link.
SWINE FLU - THE BASICS
Symptoms usually similar to seasonal flu
It is a new version of the H1N1 strain which caused the 1918 flu pandemic
Current treatments do work, but there is no vaccine
Good personal hygiene, such as washing hands, covering nose when sneezing advised
If this outbreak can be traced to an imported infection, officials and parents might feel easier.
But Mr Tsang made clear that local infection was inevitable, sooner or later, for a place as open as Hong Kong.
Almost 50 people in Hong Kong have had swine flu, all of them imported.
The government said this week that even if the WHO declares a pandemic, it would not affect Hong Kong much as it was already operating under that assumption.
Dr York Chow Yat-ngok, the Secretary for Food and Health, said: "No matter what their decision will be, Hong Kong is already at the highest emergency alert level. Also, we have already made some long-term arrangements."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 094836.stm
Published: 2009/06/11 11:47:24 GMT
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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by Eliza » Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:48 pm
Thursday, Jun 11, 2009
Posted on Wed, Jun. 10, 2009
Nagin says swine flu quarantine was surreal
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin says he would have never expected to be held in quarantine in China amid swine flu concerns.
Nagin told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that it was surreal to be approached by people in "full hazmat gear" and taken by ambulance to a hotel. He, his wife and a security guard were quarantined there after a passenger on their flight from New Jersey exhibited flulike symptoms. The three were released Wednesday, three days after being sequestered.
Posted on Wed, Jun. 10, 2009
Nagin says swine flu quarantine was surreal
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin says he would have never expected to be held in quarantine in China amid swine flu concerns.
Nagin told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that it was surreal to be approached by people in "full hazmat gear" and taken by ambulance to a hotel. He, his wife and a security guard were quarantined there after a passenger on their flight from New Jersey exhibited flulike symptoms. The three were released Wednesday, three days after being sequestered.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:00 pm
Thailand has 22 more confirmed A/H1N1 flu patients
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-11 15:42:35 Print
BANGKOK, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Thursday announced 22 more confirmed A/H1N1 flu patients, bringing the country's total cases to 38, according to Thai Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai.
Of the total 22 new confirmed cases, some 17 are staff in charge of discotheque service of a hotel in resort town Pattaya ina central province of Chonburi, he said.
They have been advised to suspend all social activities, remain at home, and wear facial masks to prevent the disease from spreading, Witthaya said.
The ministry's medical team investigated the hotel staff after two Taiwanese tourists claimed that they were earlier infected with the A/H1N1 virus while traveling in Pattaya.
Meanwhile, the five remainders of the total 22 new confirmed cases are the patients, who earlier were closely monitored by medical teams, he said.
Among these five patients, the first one is a 20-year-old man, British, who on June 9 arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and planned to depart for Cambodia, however, he was found of having high body temperature, Witthaya said.
The British started coughing on June 7, hence, he has been admitted to a Bangkok hospital, the Thai minister said.
The second patient is a 23-year-old Thai man, who on June 8 developed the flu symptoms after returning from Singapore, said Witthaya, adding that he has remained at a hospital.
The third case is a 27-year-old Thai woman, who has developed the flu symptoms from June 7 after returning from the United States, he said.
The fourth patient is also a Thai, who has no overseas trip history, but is sick after this patient went to pick up a son, who returned from the United States on June 4, Witthaya said.
The fourth case started developing the flu symptoms on June 6 and has been admitted to a hospital since June 8, he said.
The fifth case is a Thai mother of the country's 16th confirmedA/H1N1 flu patient announced on Wednesday, said Witthaya.
The mother has no history of traveling to any affected area, but she was closely monitored after her son was infected with the A/H1N1 virus, he said.
The mother has not developed any flu symptom, but laboratory tests have shown she is infected with the A/H1N1 virus, said the Thai minister.
Her son, an 11-year-old school boy, who is the country's 16th case -- having developed the flu symptoms since June 6, has no overseas trip history.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-11 15:42:35 Print
BANGKOK, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Thursday announced 22 more confirmed A/H1N1 flu patients, bringing the country's total cases to 38, according to Thai Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai.
Of the total 22 new confirmed cases, some 17 are staff in charge of discotheque service of a hotel in resort town Pattaya ina central province of Chonburi, he said.
They have been advised to suspend all social activities, remain at home, and wear facial masks to prevent the disease from spreading, Witthaya said.
The ministry's medical team investigated the hotel staff after two Taiwanese tourists claimed that they were earlier infected with the A/H1N1 virus while traveling in Pattaya.
Meanwhile, the five remainders of the total 22 new confirmed cases are the patients, who earlier were closely monitored by medical teams, he said.
Among these five patients, the first one is a 20-year-old man, British, who on June 9 arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and planned to depart for Cambodia, however, he was found of having high body temperature, Witthaya said.
The British started coughing on June 7, hence, he has been admitted to a Bangkok hospital, the Thai minister said.
The second patient is a 23-year-old Thai man, who on June 8 developed the flu symptoms after returning from Singapore, said Witthaya, adding that he has remained at a hospital.
The third case is a 27-year-old Thai woman, who has developed the flu symptoms from June 7 after returning from the United States, he said.
The fourth patient is also a Thai, who has no overseas trip history, but is sick after this patient went to pick up a son, who returned from the United States on June 4, Witthaya said.
The fourth case started developing the flu symptoms on June 6 and has been admitted to a hospital since June 8, he said.
The fifth case is a Thai mother of the country's 16th confirmedA/H1N1 flu patient announced on Wednesday, said Witthaya.
The mother has no history of traveling to any affected area, but she was closely monitored after her son was infected with the A/H1N1 virus, he said.
The mother has not developed any flu symptom, but laboratory tests have shown she is infected with the A/H1N1 virus, said the Thai minister.
Her son, an 11-year-old school boy, who is the country's 16th case -- having developed the flu symptoms since June 6, has no overseas trip history.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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KOREA
by Eliza » Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:49 am
Australia Team Quarantined in Korea on Swine Flu Fear (Update1)
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By Jason Scott and Kevin Cho
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- Australia’s under 21 lacrosse team has been quarantined in South Korea after one of the 26 members tested positive for swine flu, in the latest case of the nation exporting the virus to Asia.
South Korea has prohibited the Australian team from attending a tournament and will quarantine all members to monitor them for seven days, the health ministry said in a statement late yesterday. That brings Korea’s confirmed cases of swine flu to 61, following the arrival of an 11-year-old boy affected with the virus from Australia on June 12.
Evidence that the virus has taken root in Australia, as well as in Chile, the U.K. and five other countries, has prompted the World Health Organization to move to the top of its pandemic alert scale. Singapore yesterday confirmed six more cases of the virus, five of whom were people returning from Melbourne, an Australian city that’s one of the hardest-hit by the first flu pandemic in four decades.
Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said today the nation is set to raise its swine flu alert level, Perthnow.com reported on its Web site.
With the national tally at almost 1,500 cases and seven people in intensive care, Roxon said the whole country would soon move to the “sustain” phase in line with Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, Perthnow reported.
Hong Kong
The Australian lacrosse team is staying at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Suwon, south of Seoul, according to Melbourne’s Herald Sun. The team will be moved to another hotel today, where members will be isolated in single rooms for seven days, the newspaper said, citing coach Greg Mollison.
The Asia Pacific Lacrosse Tournament for men is scheduled to run from tomorrow until June 21, according to the Korea Lacrosse Association.
Singapore today confirmed seven more cases of swine flu in the island city, bringing the total number of infections to 34. Many of those infected have flown to Singapore from Melbourne.
Hong Kong confirmed 11 more cases of swine flu, bringing the total in the territory to 84, according to government figures released yesterday evening.
U.K. Infections
England had a further 67 cases yesterday, pushing the total number in the U.K. to 1,121, the Department of Health said.
“The localized cases of swine flu found in the U.K. have so far been generally mild in most people, but are proving to be severe in a small minority of cases,” the department said.
Swine flu, causing mostly mild disease outbreaks on four continents, has reached 74 countries, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization, released on June 12. There have been 29,669 cases, including 145 deaths, it said.
Previous pandemics have encircled the globe in two or three waves. The 1918 Spanish flu, the most deadly of all, started out so mild that the warning signal was missed, Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director-general, told the United Nations General Assembly last month. It eventually killed more than 40 million people.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Perth at Jscott14@bloomberg.net. Kevin Cho in Seoul at kcho2@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: June 14, 2009 01:07 EDT
Share | Email | Print | A A A
By Jason Scott and Kevin Cho
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- Australia’s under 21 lacrosse team has been quarantined in South Korea after one of the 26 members tested positive for swine flu, in the latest case of the nation exporting the virus to Asia.
South Korea has prohibited the Australian team from attending a tournament and will quarantine all members to monitor them for seven days, the health ministry said in a statement late yesterday. That brings Korea’s confirmed cases of swine flu to 61, following the arrival of an 11-year-old boy affected with the virus from Australia on June 12.
Evidence that the virus has taken root in Australia, as well as in Chile, the U.K. and five other countries, has prompted the World Health Organization to move to the top of its pandemic alert scale. Singapore yesterday confirmed six more cases of the virus, five of whom were people returning from Melbourne, an Australian city that’s one of the hardest-hit by the first flu pandemic in four decades.
Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said today the nation is set to raise its swine flu alert level, Perthnow.com reported on its Web site.
With the national tally at almost 1,500 cases and seven people in intensive care, Roxon said the whole country would soon move to the “sustain” phase in line with Victoria state, of which Melbourne is the capital, Perthnow reported.
Hong Kong
The Australian lacrosse team is staying at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Suwon, south of Seoul, according to Melbourne’s Herald Sun. The team will be moved to another hotel today, where members will be isolated in single rooms for seven days, the newspaper said, citing coach Greg Mollison.
The Asia Pacific Lacrosse Tournament for men is scheduled to run from tomorrow until June 21, according to the Korea Lacrosse Association.
Singapore today confirmed seven more cases of swine flu in the island city, bringing the total number of infections to 34. Many of those infected have flown to Singapore from Melbourne.
Hong Kong confirmed 11 more cases of swine flu, bringing the total in the territory to 84, according to government figures released yesterday evening.
U.K. Infections
England had a further 67 cases yesterday, pushing the total number in the U.K. to 1,121, the Department of Health said.
“The localized cases of swine flu found in the U.K. have so far been generally mild in most people, but are proving to be severe in a small minority of cases,” the department said.
Swine flu, causing mostly mild disease outbreaks on four continents, has reached 74 countries, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization, released on June 12. There have been 29,669 cases, including 145 deaths, it said.
Previous pandemics have encircled the globe in two or three waves. The 1918 Spanish flu, the most deadly of all, started out so mild that the warning signal was missed, Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director-general, told the United Nations General Assembly last month. It eventually killed more than 40 million people.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Perth at Jscott14@bloomberg.net. Kevin Cho in Seoul at kcho2@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: June 14, 2009 01:07 EDT
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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by Eliza » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:26 pm
Chinese mainland reports 20 more A/H1N1 flu cases, total hits 185
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-14 22:48:45 Print
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland confirmed 20 new A/H1N1 flu cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 185 with no fatalities.
The Chinese capital Beijing and provinces of Fujian and Guangdong reported four new cases each from 6 p.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday, the Ministry of Health said in a late Sunday statement.
Meanwhile, three new cases were reported in Hubei Province, two in Zhejiang Province and one each in Hunan, Shandong and Shanghai.
As of 10 p.m. Saturday, 74 countries had confirmed 29,669 A/H1N1 flu cases, with 145 deaths, the statement said citing a World Health Organization report.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-14 22:48:45 Print
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland confirmed 20 new A/H1N1 flu cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 185 with no fatalities.
The Chinese capital Beijing and provinces of Fujian and Guangdong reported four new cases each from 6 p.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday, the Ministry of Health said in a late Sunday statement.
Meanwhile, three new cases were reported in Hubei Province, two in Zhejiang Province and one each in Hunan, Shandong and Shanghai.
As of 10 p.m. Saturday, 74 countries had confirmed 29,669 A/H1N1 flu cases, with 145 deaths, the statement said citing a World Health Organization report.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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by Eliza » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:40 pm
Thai PM warns against A/H1N1 panic
BANGKOK (news sources) — A number of cases grew ninefold in four days and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub.
Health authorities reported that confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus soared to 150 on Sunday, compared with just 16 on Wednesday, including a number of foreigners.
Officials last week said 21 of the new infections were found among nightclub workers in a coastal city, who were tested after two Taiwanese tourists said on returning home they had contracted the disease there.
A Hong Kong visitor may also have contracted the virus on the southern resort island of Phuket.
The government was taking extra measures whenever cases were reported to confine the disease.
The public health ministry on Sunday advised people to wear masks if they are suffering from fever.
The government has begun a mass disinfection programme in hundreds of Bangkok's schools, while two private schools near each other in the capital were closed for a week after a student at one of them contracted the virus.
Thailand had its first reported case of swine flu on May 12 and its first domestic case in early June but there have been no fatalities.
The World Health Organization raised its global alert to a maximum six on Thursday, saying swine flu had reached pandemic status.
(excerpts from news reports)
BANGKOK (news sources) — A number of cases grew ninefold in four days and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub.
Health authorities reported that confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus soared to 150 on Sunday, compared with just 16 on Wednesday, including a number of foreigners.
Officials last week said 21 of the new infections were found among nightclub workers in a coastal city, who were tested after two Taiwanese tourists said on returning home they had contracted the disease there.
A Hong Kong visitor may also have contracted the virus on the southern resort island of Phuket.
The government was taking extra measures whenever cases were reported to confine the disease.
The public health ministry on Sunday advised people to wear masks if they are suffering from fever.
The government has begun a mass disinfection programme in hundreds of Bangkok's schools, while two private schools near each other in the capital were closed for a week after a student at one of them contracted the virus.
Thailand had its first reported case of swine flu on May 12 and its first domestic case in early June but there have been no fatalities.
The World Health Organization raised its global alert to a maximum six on Thursday, saying swine flu had reached pandemic status.
(excerpts from news reports)
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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by Eliza » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:52 am
Health Minister: Thailand's A/H1N1 virus outbreak may peak in July
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-15 13:35:42 Print
BANGKOK, June 15 (Xinhua) -- It is possible Thailand's A/H1N1 virus outbreak will peak in July and it is essential for all involved parties and the Thai people to be well prepared to curb the outbreak, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said here on Monday.
And, if the new deadly virus outbreak will really enlarge in the near future, the Thai people should not panic since A/H1N1-virus-infected patients can be cured, Witthaya said, the Thai NewsAgency reported.
Whether or not there will be deaths due to the deadly virus infection, the Minister said it is unpredictable.
However, any person, who is physically weak and contacts with the A/H1N1 flu virus, might be killed by the disease, said Witthaya.
In a related development, Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said he has already ordered classes' suspension in eight education institutions in Bangkok and a nearby province of Pathoomthani.
Education administrations nationwide are permitted to suspend classes if students are found of having been infected with the A/H1N1 virus, Jurin said.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-15 13:35:42 Print
BANGKOK, June 15 (Xinhua) -- It is possible Thailand's A/H1N1 virus outbreak will peak in July and it is essential for all involved parties and the Thai people to be well prepared to curb the outbreak, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said here on Monday.
And, if the new deadly virus outbreak will really enlarge in the near future, the Thai people should not panic since A/H1N1-virus-infected patients can be cured, Witthaya said, the Thai NewsAgency reported.
Whether or not there will be deaths due to the deadly virus infection, the Minister said it is unpredictable.
However, any person, who is physically weak and contacts with the A/H1N1 flu virus, might be killed by the disease, said Witthaya.
In a related development, Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said he has already ordered classes' suspension in eight education institutions in Bangkok and a nearby province of Pathoomthani.
Education administrations nationwide are permitted to suspend classes if students are found of having been infected with the A/H1N1 virus, Jurin said.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
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- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:05 pm
Officials muzzled on H1N1
By: POST REPORTERS
Published: 16/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: NewsThe Public Health Ministry is asking provincial health and hospital chiefs not to speak to the media about influenza A (H1N1) cases in an effort to calm disquiet over the extent of the spread of the virus.
TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Ministry spokesman Suphan Sithamma said a letter was being sent to senior health figures warning them not to say anything about the number of flu cases and details about the patients. All information was to be filtered through health authorities in Bangkok.
The ministry's hush-hush order came as the number of flu cases passed the 200 mark and experts expected it to rise further.
The number of H1N1 victims in Thailand yesterday reached 201 after 51 new cases were confirmed.
The Education Ministry has ordered the closure of 14 schools for a week to prevent the spread of the flu.
It said in a statement 60 students had been confirmed with the H1N1 flu. One was a student at the public health faculty at Mahidol University, one was with the science faculty at Chiang Mai University and the rest were schoolchildren.
Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit has assigned permanent secretary for education Chinnapat Bhumirat to work with the Public Health Ministry in an effort to contain the spread in schools.
All Bangkok schools have undergone disinfection in recent days.
School directors have been authorised to exercise their own judgement on whether to suspend classes if any pupil is diagnosed with the new strain, Mr Jurin said.
(snipped)
By: POST REPORTERS
Published: 16/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: NewsThe Public Health Ministry is asking provincial health and hospital chiefs not to speak to the media about influenza A (H1N1) cases in an effort to calm disquiet over the extent of the spread of the virus.
TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Ministry spokesman Suphan Sithamma said a letter was being sent to senior health figures warning them not to say anything about the number of flu cases and details about the patients. All information was to be filtered through health authorities in Bangkok.
The ministry's hush-hush order came as the number of flu cases passed the 200 mark and experts expected it to rise further.
The number of H1N1 victims in Thailand yesterday reached 201 after 51 new cases were confirmed.
The Education Ministry has ordered the closure of 14 schools for a week to prevent the spread of the flu.
It said in a statement 60 students had been confirmed with the H1N1 flu. One was a student at the public health faculty at Mahidol University, one was with the science faculty at Chiang Mai University and the rest were schoolchildren.
Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit has assigned permanent secretary for education Chinnapat Bhumirat to work with the Public Health Ministry in an effort to contain the spread in schools.
All Bangkok schools have undergone disinfection in recent days.
School directors have been authorised to exercise their own judgement on whether to suspend classes if any pupil is diagnosed with the new strain, Mr Jurin said.
(snipped)
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:45 pm
Beijing to add new hospital against A(H1N1)
Beijing is adding a brand new hospital to its arsenal in the battle against the A(H1N1) influenza virus as the city notches its 50th positive case, Beijing health bureau said Monday.
The facility will ease pressure on hospitals currently treating flu patients while also looking after people with routine injuries and illnesses.
"Most of the patients were hospitalized in the two infectious hospitals as we tried to maintain the routine operation of the eight other hospitals with varied departments," Ma Yanming, a health bureau spokesperson told China Daily Monday. "As we are expecting more cases, the new hospital will help ease the pressure on all of the 10 hospitals (in Beijing that are treating flu patients)."
The new hospital will begin operating soon but Ma declined to give an exact date.
It will be located in the Shunyi district, in the northeast of the city and be able to accommodate 300 patients, Beijing News reported.
Two hospitals near Beijing International Airport will be involved in the screening of airline passengers with flu-like symptoms, Ma added.
Currently, suspected cases are also being sent to the city's 10 H1N1 hospitals, he said.
A total of 226 cases have been reported on the Chinese mainland. There have been no deaths, said the Ministry of Health.
In another development, Beijing health authorities Monday were tracking people who had been in contact with an H1N1 patient.
The 21-year-old woman had traveled around the capital by subway, bus and taxi before she was diagnosed on June 13, said the Beijing health bureau.
She arrived from Toronto on June 7 and saw a doctor on June 9 after she felt dizzy. She was not displaying a fever and was asked to rest at home.
She was diagnosed and hospitalized on June 13 after developing symptoms, including a cough and runny nose.
"She hadn't had a fever but had shown other symptoms. She should have followed instructions to practice self-quarantine at home," Ma noted. "Some of her close contacts are under medical observation now and we are tracking the rest. Anyone with concerns can call 12321, the public health hotline in Beijing."
Previously, a H1N1 patient publicly apologized for ignoring his symptoms and traveling on the subway and having dining with friends in Beijing.
In Guangdong province, two secondary infections have been detected in a subsidiary college of the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou city, according to the local health authority.
The male students shared a room on campus, reported Guangzhou Daily Monday. One of the men had contracted the virus after traveling on the same carriage of a train as an infected woman.
All of their close contacts have been quarantined and no school closure was planned, the health authority added.
Beijing is adding a brand new hospital to its arsenal in the battle against the A(H1N1) influenza virus as the city notches its 50th positive case, Beijing health bureau said Monday.
The facility will ease pressure on hospitals currently treating flu patients while also looking after people with routine injuries and illnesses.
"Most of the patients were hospitalized in the two infectious hospitals as we tried to maintain the routine operation of the eight other hospitals with varied departments," Ma Yanming, a health bureau spokesperson told China Daily Monday. "As we are expecting more cases, the new hospital will help ease the pressure on all of the 10 hospitals (in Beijing that are treating flu patients)."
The new hospital will begin operating soon but Ma declined to give an exact date.
It will be located in the Shunyi district, in the northeast of the city and be able to accommodate 300 patients, Beijing News reported.
Two hospitals near Beijing International Airport will be involved in the screening of airline passengers with flu-like symptoms, Ma added.
Currently, suspected cases are also being sent to the city's 10 H1N1 hospitals, he said.
A total of 226 cases have been reported on the Chinese mainland. There have been no deaths, said the Ministry of Health.
In another development, Beijing health authorities Monday were tracking people who had been in contact with an H1N1 patient.
The 21-year-old woman had traveled around the capital by subway, bus and taxi before she was diagnosed on June 13, said the Beijing health bureau.
She arrived from Toronto on June 7 and saw a doctor on June 9 after she felt dizzy. She was not displaying a fever and was asked to rest at home.
She was diagnosed and hospitalized on June 13 after developing symptoms, including a cough and runny nose.
"She hadn't had a fever but had shown other symptoms. She should have followed instructions to practice self-quarantine at home," Ma noted. "Some of her close contacts are under medical observation now and we are tracking the rest. Anyone with concerns can call 12321, the public health hotline in Beijing."
Previously, a H1N1 patient publicly apologized for ignoring his symptoms and traveling on the subway and having dining with friends in Beijing.
In Guangdong province, two secondary infections have been detected in a subsidiary college of the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou city, according to the local health authority.
The male students shared a room on campus, reported Guangzhou Daily Monday. One of the men had contracted the virus after traveling on the same carriage of a train as an infected woman.
All of their close contacts have been quarantined and no school closure was planned, the health authority added.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:18 am
Vietnam reports 26th A/H1N1 flu case
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-16 11:40:40 Print
HANOI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health said that the country confirmed one more influenza A/H1N1 case, bringing the total number of flu patients to 26, local newspaper the New Hanoi reported Tuesday.
The patient, a 14-year-old boy, is living in the south western province of Tien Giang. He was confirmed positive to the A/H1N1 virus after having contact with one flu patient coming back from the United States on the flight UA869 on June 5, according to the newspaper.
This is the fourth human-to-human transmission case in Vietnam, said the ministry.
Meanwhile, 13 out of 26 patients infected with the influenza virus were discharged from the hospitals. The rest are in stable conditions, according to the ministry.
The country has reported no death of the A/H1N1 virus so far.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-16 11:40:40 Print
HANOI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health said that the country confirmed one more influenza A/H1N1 case, bringing the total number of flu patients to 26, local newspaper the New Hanoi reported Tuesday.
The patient, a 14-year-old boy, is living in the south western province of Tien Giang. He was confirmed positive to the A/H1N1 virus after having contact with one flu patient coming back from the United States on the flight UA869 on June 5, according to the newspaper.
This is the fourth human-to-human transmission case in Vietnam, said the ministry.
Meanwhile, 13 out of 26 patients infected with the influenza virus were discharged from the hospitals. The rest are in stable conditions, according to the ministry.
The country has reported no death of the A/H1N1 virus so far.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:31 am
Medical workers do disinfection, as preventive step to fight against the A/H1N1 flu outbreak, at a market
during the "Big Cleaning Day" in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, June 15, 2009. Thailand on Monday
reported 51 more flu A/H1N1 cases, bringing the country's total number to 201. (Xinhua/Stringer)
Thai health workers disinfectant a road along Patong beach in Phuket province, about 862 km (536 miles)
south of Bangkok June 14, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Thailand's total number of A/H1N1 flu virus patients rises to 310
BANGKOK, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Tuesday reported 109 more A/H1N1 virus cases, bringing the country's total number to 310, Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi announced here on Tuesday.
Despite of the rising number of the A/H1N1 virus patients, Manit pleaded the public not to panic.
The rising number of A/H1N1 flu cases was not unusual since other countries also encountered the same problem, said Doctor Prat Boonyavongvirot, permanent secretary of the Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, Doctor Prat said the new virus could pose higher risk to children under five years old, pregnant women, elders with an age of over 65 years old, and people with low immunity, or those with chronic diseases such as lung, heart and kidney diseases.
The Public Health Ministry is now holding a meeting with around400 nationwide doctors in capital Bangkok to discuss about preventive measures to fight the expanding A/H1N1 flu outbreak.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
US warning China?
by Eliza » Sat Jun 20, 2009 4:12 pm
U.S. warns on China swine flu quarantines
Published: June 20, 2009 at 10:56 AM
The random nature of U.S. travelers to China being placed into seven-day flu quarantines is making travel to the country unpredictable, U.S. officials say.
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert Friday warning that Chinese officials reacting to the swine flu outbreak are randomly enforcing rules wherein travelers are being placed into long quarantines to guard against the spread of the H1N1 virus.
"Although the proportion of arriving Americans being quarantined remains low, the random nature of the selection process increases the uncertainty surrounding travel to China," the State Department said. "The selection process focuses on those sitting in close proximity to another traveler exhibiting fever or flu-like symptoms or on those displaying an elevated temperature if arriving from an area where outbreaks of 2009 H1N1 have occurred."
The statement said U.S. officials have received reports of passengers arriving from areas where outbreaks have occurred, such as the United States and Mexico, being placed in precautionary quarantine simply because they registered slightly elevated temperatures.
About 48,000 cases of swine fly have been found worldwide, including 519 in China, the World Health Organization says.
United Press International
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Sat Jun 20, 2009 4:18 pm
Hong Kong reports 20 new cases of A/H1N1 flu
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-20 22:46:05 Print
HONG KONG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Twenty people were found ill with the A/H1N1 flu virus in Hong Kong during the past 24 hours as of 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the city to 255, according to a spokesman of the HKSAR's Department of Health.
The spokesman said five of the confirmed patients caught the disease during their trips overseas and the rest 15 contracted locally.
The new cases involved 10 female and 10 male aged between 1 and 55 years old. All of them are in stable condition and will be arranged to public hospitals for isolation.
They are now in stable condition, the spokesman said.
Among the new cases included a teacher of Ling Liang Church M HLau Secondary School, a student of Renaissance College, a student of YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, a student of American International School and four students of Australian International School.
All these schools were already closed in the past days.
The spokesman called on parents to pay attention to the health condition of their children, and to remind them to observe good personal and environmental hygiene.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-20 22:46:05 Print
HONG KONG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Twenty people were found ill with the A/H1N1 flu virus in Hong Kong during the past 24 hours as of 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the city to 255, according to a spokesman of the HKSAR's Department of Health.
The spokesman said five of the confirmed patients caught the disease during their trips overseas and the rest 15 contracted locally.
The new cases involved 10 female and 10 male aged between 1 and 55 years old. All of them are in stable condition and will be arranged to public hospitals for isolation.
They are now in stable condition, the spokesman said.
Among the new cases included a teacher of Ling Liang Church M HLau Secondary School, a student of Renaissance College, a student of YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, a student of American International School and four students of Australian International School.
All these schools were already closed in the past days.
The spokesman called on parents to pay attention to the health condition of their children, and to remind them to observe good personal and environmental hygiene.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:50 pm
China begins tests of first A/H1N1 flu vaccines
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-22 16:09:58 Print
BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Laboratory tests began on China's first developed A/H1N1 flu vaccine on Monday.
The vaccines are expected to hit the market in September after 14 days of safety tests in labs and two-month clinical tests from July, said Fan Bei, deputy general manager of Hualan Biological Engineering Inc., based in Henan Province.
The company had produced a first batch of 90,000 doses, but it would be able to make 600,000 doses a day once it was approved, Fan said.
"As the vaccines still need to go through several tests, we did not produce at full capacity."
A clinical test plan submitted by the firm was approved by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), but she would not release the details of the plan.
The company received the seed virus from a World Health Organization (WHO) lab on June 3.
China has 11 drug firms that are qualified to produce flu vaccines. Another drug company, Sinovac Biotech Co. Ltd., announced that it had started development of A/H1N1 flu vaccines on June 15.
China has reported 414 cases of A/H1N1 flu. Epidemiologists have warned of a "very high" risk of outbreak in densely populated communities.
The Ministry of Health issued a document last Wednesday saying that, in case of a rampant spread of the virus in local communities, it would switch to monitor the "group activities" of each community instead of closely tracking and quarantining individual patients.
It also suggested that group activities of communities could besuspended or canceled, which means schools could be closed.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-22 16:09:58 Print
BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Laboratory tests began on China's first developed A/H1N1 flu vaccine on Monday.
The vaccines are expected to hit the market in September after 14 days of safety tests in labs and two-month clinical tests from July, said Fan Bei, deputy general manager of Hualan Biological Engineering Inc., based in Henan Province.
The company had produced a first batch of 90,000 doses, but it would be able to make 600,000 doses a day once it was approved, Fan said.
"As the vaccines still need to go through several tests, we did not produce at full capacity."
A clinical test plan submitted by the firm was approved by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), but she would not release the details of the plan.
The company received the seed virus from a World Health Organization (WHO) lab on June 3.
China has 11 drug firms that are qualified to produce flu vaccines. Another drug company, Sinovac Biotech Co. Ltd., announced that it had started development of A/H1N1 flu vaccines on June 15.
China has reported 414 cases of A/H1N1 flu. Epidemiologists have warned of a "very high" risk of outbreak in densely populated communities.
The Ministry of Health issued a document last Wednesday saying that, in case of a rampant spread of the virus in local communities, it would switch to monitor the "group activities" of each community instead of closely tracking and quarantining individual patients.
It also suggested that group activities of communities could besuspended or canceled, which means schools could be closed.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:07 am
A/H1N1 influenza cases in Vietnam increase to 63
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-25 12:23:27 Print
HANOI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed seven more A/H1N1 flu cases, bringing total number of infections in the country to 63, local newspaper the New Hanoi reported Thursday.
The seven newly-confirmed cases include five in Ho Chi Minh City and two in Hanoi, said the ministry.
In Hanoi, the patients are two students coming back from Australia on June 18, said the newspaper. They are admitted to Hanoi-based National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases after having symptoms of fever and headache.
The report did not reveal any more information about the five cases in Ho Chi Minh City.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-25 12:23:27 Print
HANOI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed seven more A/H1N1 flu cases, bringing total number of infections in the country to 63, local newspaper the New Hanoi reported Thursday.
The seven newly-confirmed cases include five in Ho Chi Minh City and two in Hanoi, said the ministry.
In Hanoi, the patients are two students coming back from Australia on June 18, said the newspaper. They are admitted to Hanoi-based National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases after having symptoms of fever and headache.
The report did not reveal any more information about the five cases in Ho Chi Minh City.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:04 am
Breakingnews » Breakingnews
First case of swine flu death confirmed
By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 27/06/2009 at 10:25 AM
A 47 years old female A (H1N1) flu patient had died at about 3am on Saturday, the director general of Medicine Department Rewat Wisruthwes at the ministry of Public Health confirmed.
She was the country’s first case who died of the new 2009 swine flu strain.
Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai will hold a press conference at 11 am to provide details on the swine flu death case, Mr Rewat said.
The ministry had yesterday confirmed that the country had altogether 1,130 patients who contracted with the A (H1N1) flu virus. Of the total, 1,110 have recovered, 22 of them, 2 in critical condition, are being treated in hospitals.
First case of swine flu death confirmed
By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 27/06/2009 at 10:25 AM
A 47 years old female A (H1N1) flu patient had died at about 3am on Saturday, the director general of Medicine Department Rewat Wisruthwes at the ministry of Public Health confirmed.
She was the country’s first case who died of the new 2009 swine flu strain.
Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai will hold a press conference at 11 am to provide details on the swine flu death case, Mr Rewat said.
The ministry had yesterday confirmed that the country had altogether 1,130 patients who contracted with the A (H1N1) flu virus. Of the total, 1,110 have recovered, 22 of them, 2 in critical condition, are being treated in hospitals.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:40 pm
A/H1N1 flu takes new death tolls in Asia-Pacific region
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-27 23:45:43 Print
HONG KONG, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Influenza A/H1N1 virus has killed two people in Thailand, the new country in the Asia-Pacific region to have reported death cases in the latest flu pandemic.
The first victim, a 40-year-old woman from Bangkok, died from pneumonia and haemoptysis, Witthaya Kaewparadai, Thai Public Health Minister, told a press conference at 11 a.m. local time Saturday to brief details on the flu death.
The woman, who was sent to a private hospital on June 8 after falling ill, developed fever and dyspnea and died on June 20, Dr. Kamnuan Ung-Chusak, Director of the Office of Epidemiology under the Department of Disease Control, said along with Mr. Witthaya.
Another victim, a 42-year-old male engineer from the central province of Chonburi, also died from complications on June 26, Mr. Witthaya said.
As of Saturday noon, Thailand confirmed 1,209 Influenza A/H1N1 cases. Of them, over 1,100 have recovered, and 22 of them, with 2 in critical condition, are being treated in hospitals.
In its neighboring country Myanmar, the first case of influenzaA/H1N1 was confirmed on Saturday. A girl aged 13 was confirmed to have been infected with the flu, according to an evening broadcast of the state-run Radio Myanmar.
The girl, who came back from Singapore by flight No. 3K 585 on Friday afternoon, was first found with no such human flu when screened at the airport. But she coughed seriously when she attended the evening tutorial class on the same day and then she was taken to the Yangon General hospital at night.
She was confirmed by the hospital authorities that she had carried the virus.
All of her fellow students and her family members have been separated and put under medical watch.
The 91 other passengers, who traveled with the girl in the same flight, and people who have contacts with her are also being screened.
In Malaysia, seven new cases of A/H1N1 flu were confirmed on Saturday, raising the total number of such cases in the country to112.
Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that a four-year-old boy from the Penang State in northwestern Malaysia was the latest case among the seven.
The boy was infected by his older sibling, he said.
So far, Malaysia recorded a total of 16 locally transmitted cases of A/H1N1 flu, he added.
Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed eight more A/H1N1 flu cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 84, local online newspaper the Youth reported Saturday.
Vietnam has so far confirmed 84 cases, including 73 in southern provinces, seven in northern and four in central provinces. Among those, there are nine human-to-human transmission cases. A total of 32 patients had been discharged from hospitals, said the report.
The number of influenza A/H1N1 confirmed cases in New Zealand rose to 507 on Saturday, up 54 from 453 on Friday.
The region housing the largest number of influenza A/H1N1 patients is Wellington, with 173 cases, followed by Auckland, 140,then Canterbury who has 128 people with the virus.
Hong Kong SAR government announced to have confirmed 33 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza in the 24 hours by 2:30 p.m. Saturday, bringing the total number of A/H1N1 influenza cases to 629 in the city.
Its Department of Health and the Hospital Authority (HA) is pondering to adjust mitigation phase measures against the A/H1N1 Influenza, a government spokesman said on Saturday.
The new measures would formally take effect on June 29 and preparatory work was now being undertaken, the spokesman said.
"Most recent data show that HSI (human swine influenza A/H1N1) has become the dominant strain of influenza virus in Hong Kong, making up more than 70 percent of all influenza viruses. About one in eight patients seen at the HA's Designated Flu Clinics are tested positive for HSI. These data prove that HSI is widely circulating in the community," said the spokesman.
"Since HSI is now widely circulating, measures such as patient isolation and contact tracing are no longer efficient in reducing transmission. Priority is now accorded to disease surveillance and management of clinically more severe cases," the spokesman said.
"Clinical specimens will continue to be collected at Designated Flu Clinics and public hospitals to monitor the activity of HSI in the community on a daily basis," he added.
Meanwhile, temperature screening, health declarations and broadcast of health messages at the control points would remain unchanged.
The spokesman said starting June 29, travelers with mild symptoms and intercepted at all boundary control points would be provided with face mask and guidance notes for seeking medical consultation.
"As for severe case, Port Health Officers will take them to public hospitals by ambulance for medical examination," he said.
In Macao SAR, one more confirmed case of influenza A/H1N1 was reported on Saturday, bringing the total number of such cases to 16.
The newly confirmed case was imported, concerning a 24-year-oldChinese mainland resident who arrived in Macao on June 5 and traveled to Philippine between June 21 and 22, according to Macao's Health Bureau. He showed flu symptoms after returning to Macao on June 23.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-27 23:45:43 Print
HONG KONG, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Influenza A/H1N1 virus has killed two people in Thailand, the new country in the Asia-Pacific region to have reported death cases in the latest flu pandemic.
The first victim, a 40-year-old woman from Bangkok, died from pneumonia and haemoptysis, Witthaya Kaewparadai, Thai Public Health Minister, told a press conference at 11 a.m. local time Saturday to brief details on the flu death.
The woman, who was sent to a private hospital on June 8 after falling ill, developed fever and dyspnea and died on June 20, Dr. Kamnuan Ung-Chusak, Director of the Office of Epidemiology under the Department of Disease Control, said along with Mr. Witthaya.
Another victim, a 42-year-old male engineer from the central province of Chonburi, also died from complications on June 26, Mr. Witthaya said.
As of Saturday noon, Thailand confirmed 1,209 Influenza A/H1N1 cases. Of them, over 1,100 have recovered, and 22 of them, with 2 in critical condition, are being treated in hospitals.
In its neighboring country Myanmar, the first case of influenzaA/H1N1 was confirmed on Saturday. A girl aged 13 was confirmed to have been infected with the flu, according to an evening broadcast of the state-run Radio Myanmar.
The girl, who came back from Singapore by flight No. 3K 585 on Friday afternoon, was first found with no such human flu when screened at the airport. But she coughed seriously when she attended the evening tutorial class on the same day and then she was taken to the Yangon General hospital at night.
She was confirmed by the hospital authorities that she had carried the virus.
All of her fellow students and her family members have been separated and put under medical watch.
The 91 other passengers, who traveled with the girl in the same flight, and people who have contacts with her are also being screened.
In Malaysia, seven new cases of A/H1N1 flu were confirmed on Saturday, raising the total number of such cases in the country to112.
Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that a four-year-old boy from the Penang State in northwestern Malaysia was the latest case among the seven.
The boy was infected by his older sibling, he said.
So far, Malaysia recorded a total of 16 locally transmitted cases of A/H1N1 flu, he added.
Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed eight more A/H1N1 flu cases, raising the total number of infections in the country to 84, local online newspaper the Youth reported Saturday.
Vietnam has so far confirmed 84 cases, including 73 in southern provinces, seven in northern and four in central provinces. Among those, there are nine human-to-human transmission cases. A total of 32 patients had been discharged from hospitals, said the report.
The number of influenza A/H1N1 confirmed cases in New Zealand rose to 507 on Saturday, up 54 from 453 on Friday.
The region housing the largest number of influenza A/H1N1 patients is Wellington, with 173 cases, followed by Auckland, 140,then Canterbury who has 128 people with the virus.
Hong Kong SAR government announced to have confirmed 33 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza in the 24 hours by 2:30 p.m. Saturday, bringing the total number of A/H1N1 influenza cases to 629 in the city.
Its Department of Health and the Hospital Authority (HA) is pondering to adjust mitigation phase measures against the A/H1N1 Influenza, a government spokesman said on Saturday.
The new measures would formally take effect on June 29 and preparatory work was now being undertaken, the spokesman said.
"Most recent data show that HSI (human swine influenza A/H1N1) has become the dominant strain of influenza virus in Hong Kong, making up more than 70 percent of all influenza viruses. About one in eight patients seen at the HA's Designated Flu Clinics are tested positive for HSI. These data prove that HSI is widely circulating in the community," said the spokesman.
"Since HSI is now widely circulating, measures such as patient isolation and contact tracing are no longer efficient in reducing transmission. Priority is now accorded to disease surveillance and management of clinically more severe cases," the spokesman said.
"Clinical specimens will continue to be collected at Designated Flu Clinics and public hospitals to monitor the activity of HSI in the community on a daily basis," he added.
Meanwhile, temperature screening, health declarations and broadcast of health messages at the control points would remain unchanged.
The spokesman said starting June 29, travelers with mild symptoms and intercepted at all boundary control points would be provided with face mask and guidance notes for seeking medical consultation.
"As for severe case, Port Health Officers will take them to public hospitals by ambulance for medical examination," he said.
In Macao SAR, one more confirmed case of influenza A/H1N1 was reported on Saturday, bringing the total number of such cases to 16.
The newly confirmed case was imported, concerning a 24-year-oldChinese mainland resident who arrived in Macao on June 5 and traveled to Philippine between June 21 and 22, according to Macao's Health Bureau. He showed flu symptoms after returning to Macao on June 23.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
So much for the mild seaonal flu MSM talking points :(
by Eliza » Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:38 am
Thailand flu death toll rises to 3
Man suffered from bleeding in lungs and his heart stopped beating several times. -
The Nation/ANN
Mon, Jun 29, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network
THAILAND - Latest victim was naval conscript at Sattahib Base, total cases in Thailand rise to 1,330.
A naval conscript succumbed to the type-A (H1N1) influenza infection Monday morning, raising to three the number of the flu fatalities, the director-general of the Medical Department said.
Doctor Rewat Wisarutwej, the director-general of the Medical Department, also reported 41 new cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza, raising the accumulated number of the cases in Thailand to 1,330.
The naval conscript suffered from bleeding in lungs and his heart stopped beating several times Sunday night.
Doctors put him on respiratory system but he succumbed to the disease at 9 am Monday, Rewat said.
Man suffered from bleeding in lungs and his heart stopped beating several times. -
The Nation/ANN
Mon, Jun 29, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network
THAILAND - Latest victim was naval conscript at Sattahib Base, total cases in Thailand rise to 1,330.
A naval conscript succumbed to the type-A (H1N1) influenza infection Monday morning, raising to three the number of the flu fatalities, the director-general of the Medical Department said.
Doctor Rewat Wisarutwej, the director-general of the Medical Department, also reported 41 new cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza, raising the accumulated number of the cases in Thailand to 1,330.
The naval conscript suffered from bleeding in lungs and his heart stopped beating several times Sunday night.
Doctors put him on respiratory system but he succumbed to the disease at 9 am Monday, Rewat said.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:44 pm
Ministry warns of possible A/H1N1 flu deaths in China
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-29 16:14:24 Print
BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- China is "very likely" to have its first death from the A/H1N1 influenza in the foreseeable future, as the number of the flu cases rises in the country, a health ministry official said here Monday.
"The number of imported cases of the A/H1N1 flu is expected to continue to increase in the near future, and more local people will be infected by the virus," Liang Wannian, vice director of the emergency office under the Health Ministry, said at a press conference.
As the total number of infected people increases, the chances of medical workers and high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, being infected will rise, making serious cases of the A/H1N1 flu or even fatalities "extremely possible," he said.
According to Liang, a collective occurrence of the disease or a regional outbreak of the influenza was "inevitable at this point."
"The possibility of a wide spread of the virus in China in autumn and winter is also becoming more likely," he said, adding that the virus was spreading at much higher speed than when it first entered China.
The Chinese mainland reported a total of 729 A/H1N1 flu cases as of 6 p.m. on June 28, with no serious cases or fatalities so far. Among the infected, 401 people had recovered.
Most the of the country's A/H1N1 cases were "imported" cases from other countries, according to Liang. The virus, which infects mainly people under 30 in China, had not shown obvious mutation yet.
The Ministry of Health would focus on schools and local communities to contain the virus, and may adjust its strategies in accordance with the patterns of the disease in the country, Liang said.
He also said China would stock more than 13 million A/H1N1 influenza vaccines by the end of September this year as its national reserve, but added that these vaccines would not be on sale on the market.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-29 16:14:24 Print
BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- China is "very likely" to have its first death from the A/H1N1 influenza in the foreseeable future, as the number of the flu cases rises in the country, a health ministry official said here Monday.
"The number of imported cases of the A/H1N1 flu is expected to continue to increase in the near future, and more local people will be infected by the virus," Liang Wannian, vice director of the emergency office under the Health Ministry, said at a press conference.
As the total number of infected people increases, the chances of medical workers and high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, being infected will rise, making serious cases of the A/H1N1 flu or even fatalities "extremely possible," he said.
According to Liang, a collective occurrence of the disease or a regional outbreak of the influenza was "inevitable at this point."
"The possibility of a wide spread of the virus in China in autumn and winter is also becoming more likely," he said, adding that the virus was spreading at much higher speed than when it first entered China.
The Chinese mainland reported a total of 729 A/H1N1 flu cases as of 6 p.m. on June 28, with no serious cases or fatalities so far. Among the infected, 401 people had recovered.
Most the of the country's A/H1N1 cases were "imported" cases from other countries, according to Liang. The virus, which infects mainly people under 30 in China, had not shown obvious mutation yet.
The Ministry of Health would focus on schools and local communities to contain the virus, and may adjust its strategies in accordance with the patterns of the disease in the country, Liang said.
He also said China would stock more than 13 million A/H1N1 influenza vaccines by the end of September this year as its national reserve, but added that these vaccines would not be on sale on the market.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:48 pm
Beijing school closed after seven students diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-02 00:29:07 Print
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing primary school was closed after seven students were confirmed as A/H1N1 flu cases Wednesday, the municipal health bureau announced late Wednesday.
Sixteen students at the Nanhu Zhongyuan Primary School in Chaoyang District were reported to have fever, and seven of them have been diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu, the bureau said.
A total of 154 students, teachers and parents who had close contact with the seven students are under observation.
Eighteen students were absent from class Monday and 12 of them, who are from four classes in two grades, developed fever.
Another four students were found ill the next day. Their testing results are yet to be released.
The health authorities are tracking where the students contracted the A/H1N1 virus, said Fang Laiying, director of the municipal health bureau.
"But the students are too young to remember clearly all the places they had been to before they got fever."
The flu outbreak forced the school to start the summer vacationa week ahead of schedule.
The primary school has 941 students and 78 teachers.
Beijing reported 21 confirmed A/H1N1 cases Wednesday, the largest in a day, bringing the total number in the Chinese capital to 155 as of 10 p.m. Wednesday.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-02 00:29:07 Print
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing primary school was closed after seven students were confirmed as A/H1N1 flu cases Wednesday, the municipal health bureau announced late Wednesday.
Sixteen students at the Nanhu Zhongyuan Primary School in Chaoyang District were reported to have fever, and seven of them have been diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu, the bureau said.
A total of 154 students, teachers and parents who had close contact with the seven students are under observation.
Eighteen students were absent from class Monday and 12 of them, who are from four classes in two grades, developed fever.
Another four students were found ill the next day. Their testing results are yet to be released.
The health authorities are tracking where the students contracted the A/H1N1 virus, said Fang Laiying, director of the municipal health bureau.
"But the students are too young to remember clearly all the places they had been to before they got fever."
The flu outbreak forced the school to start the summer vacationa week ahead of schedule.
The primary school has 941 students and 78 teachers.
Beijing reported 21 confirmed A/H1N1 cases Wednesday, the largest in a day, bringing the total number in the Chinese capital to 155 as of 10 p.m. Wednesday.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
by Eliza » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:03 pm
Thailand reports 5th death due to A/H1N1 flu virus
2009-07-01 07:58:09 GMT2009-07-01 15:58:09 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
BANGKOK, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Public Health Ministry announced on Wednesday the country's fifth death due to the deadly new flu -- A/H1N1 virus.
The fifth death is a female teenage of 15 years old, who died in a hospital in a central province of Chonburi, next to Bangkok, local media reported.
The hospital is going to hold a press conference at 15:30 p.m. local time, and senior officials from the Public Health Ministry would travel from Bangkok to chair the press conference, Thai language news agency INN reported.
Shortly before the fifth case announcement, the ministry reported the country's fourth death, a male adult, who died in a hospital in Bangkok.
2009-07-01 07:58:09 GMT2009-07-01 15:58:09 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
BANGKOK, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Public Health Ministry announced on Wednesday the country's fifth death due to the deadly new flu -- A/H1N1 virus.
The fifth death is a female teenage of 15 years old, who died in a hospital in a central province of Chonburi, next to Bangkok, local media reported.
The hospital is going to hold a press conference at 15:30 p.m. local time, and senior officials from the Public Health Ministry would travel from Bangkok to chair the press conference, Thai language news agency INN reported.
Shortly before the fifth case announcement, the ministry reported the country's fourth death, a male adult, who died in a hospital in Bangkok.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
Very strange report
by Eliza » Wed Jul 01, 2009 8:41 pm
China A/H1N1 flu patient dies "accidentally"
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-01 23:13:02 Print
HANGZHOU, July 1 (Xinhua) -- An A/H1N1 flu patient died "accidentally" Wednesday in east China's Zhejiang Province, local health authorities said late Wednesday.
The 34-year-old woman was found dead at 7:35 a.m. in her ward lavatory at the No.1 People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, according to the Hangzhou municipal health bureau.
The patient was recovering as her temperature had been normal for a week. She coughed occasionally, but other flu symptoms had disappeared.
She was admitted to the hospital on June 23.
Local police and health authorities are investigating.
This would be China's first death from the A/H1N1 flu if the investigation showed the woman died from the disease.
Liang Wannian, vice director of the emergency office under the Health Ministry, warned Monday that China is "very likely" to have its first death from the A/H1N1 influenza in the foreseeable future, as the number of the flu cases rises in the country.
As the total number of infected people increases, the chances of medical workers and high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, being infected will rise, making serious cases of the A/H1N1 flu or even fatalities "extremely possible," Liang told reporters.
"The possibility of a wide spread of the virus in China in autumn and winter is also becoming more likely," he also warned.
The Chinese mainland confirmed 57 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the total number amounting to 867, the Ministry of Health said.
Beijing confirmed 21 new cases, including seven students in a primary school, and the southern Guangdong Province registered 20.
Among the patients, 523 have been discharged from hospitals, 341 were being treated in hospitals and three patients were receiving medical care at their homes, the ministry said.
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-01 23:13:02 Print
HANGZHOU, July 1 (Xinhua) -- An A/H1N1 flu patient died "accidentally" Wednesday in east China's Zhejiang Province, local health authorities said late Wednesday.
The 34-year-old woman was found dead at 7:35 a.m. in her ward lavatory at the No.1 People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, according to the Hangzhou municipal health bureau.
The patient was recovering as her temperature had been normal for a week. She coughed occasionally, but other flu symptoms had disappeared.
She was admitted to the hospital on June 23.
Local police and health authorities are investigating.
This would be China's first death from the A/H1N1 flu if the investigation showed the woman died from the disease.
Liang Wannian, vice director of the emergency office under the Health Ministry, warned Monday that China is "very likely" to have its first death from the A/H1N1 influenza in the foreseeable future, as the number of the flu cases rises in the country.
As the total number of infected people increases, the chances of medical workers and high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, being infected will rise, making serious cases of the A/H1N1 flu or even fatalities "extremely possible," Liang told reporters.
"The possibility of a wide spread of the virus in China in autumn and winter is also becoming more likely," he also warned.
The Chinese mainland confirmed 57 new cases of A/H1N1 influenza from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the total number amounting to 867, the Ministry of Health said.
Beijing confirmed 21 new cases, including seven students in a primary school, and the southern Guangdong Province registered 20.
Among the patients, 523 have been discharged from hospitals, 341 were being treated in hospitals and three patients were receiving medical care at their homes, the ministry said.
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Eliza - Posts: 9704
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:05 am
- Location: Deep in the hills with my rifle, bible, and pony
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