Hong Kong Orders Closure of School over Swine Flu Outbreak

Hong Kong authorities ordered all primary schools in the city to be closed for two weeks after the first cluster of local swine flu cases was found.

The move came after 12 pupils at a city secondary school were found to have contracted the A(H1N1) virus, chief executive Donald Tsang told reporters.

Hong Kong Reports First Domestic Swine Flu Case
Hong Kong health authorities on Wednesday reported the territory's first case of human swine flu where the person had caught the virus within the city.

Tsang said authorities were unable to identify the source of the infection, making it the first "cluster" of human swine flu cases in the city without a known link to those travelling overseas.

All primary schools, kindergartens, child care centres and special schools would be shut for 14 days from Friday in an effort to control the spread of the virus, Tsang said.

"Given the global situation, (for) Hong Kong to have its own local cases is simply inevitable," Tsang said.

EU For Concerted Efforts On Swine Flu Vaccine
EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou on Tuesday called for a common European strategy on producing and using a swine flu vaccine, emphasising the need to focus on those most vulnerable.

"I believe the fellow citizens and the government have done all we can in postponing the arrival of the first indigenous case."

The latest move came more than a month after Hong Kong officials confirmed Asia's first case of the A(H1N1) virus, sparking the week-long quarantine of around 300 guests and staff at a city hotel.

China Has 100 Confirmed Cases Of Swine Flu: Report
China has 100 confirmed cases of swine flu, state media said Tuesday, as data from the World Health Organization showed the disease had spread to 73 countries.

The city is very nervous about infectious diseases following the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2003, which killed 300 people here and a further 500 around the world after one carrier spread the disease in a Hong Kong hotel.

The move to shut primary schools rather than secondary schools was made because young pupils are more vulnerable to catching the virus, Tsang said.

World On the Verge of Swine Flu Pandemic: WHO
The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that the world was on the verge of an official swine flu pandemic, saying it was working to prepare countries for raising its alarm to the highest level.

There have been around 50 confirmed cases of human swine flu infection in Hong Kong, but all the previous cases caught the virus while travelling abroad.

Since the A(H1N1) virus was first discovered in the United States and Mexico in April, some 74 countries have reported more than 27,000 cases including 141 deaths, the World Health Organization has said.

Source-AFP
SRM