Secondary school closed by flu case
Updated: 2009-06-16 07:35
By Peggy Chan(HK Edition)
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HONG KONG: Classes at the Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Secondary School in Wan Chai are to be suspended for two weeks. One of the school's secondary four students has been confirmed to have A (H1N1) flu.
The 15-year-old girl, who has no recent travel history, suffered symptoms of coughing and fever June 12. She checked in later to a Hospital Authority clinic.
The student had sat at the school's examinations with 200 other students while she was ill.
Health authorities immediately approached the head of the school, and decided to close the school for two weeks commencing yesterday.
The remaining examinations will be postponed to June 30, the school said on its website.
The human swine influenza pandemic rose to over a hundred cases in Hong Kong yesterday. Two new domestic cases were reported, without identifiable linkage to previously reported cases. The health authority warned that the virus has been transmitted through the community and cases are expected to surge in the near future.
"The cases now are only the tip of the iceberg. More people may have been infected in different districts," said Thomas Tsang, controller of Centre for Health Protection.
Three other latest domestic cases were a 10-month-old baby girl and two boys aged 6 and 8.
The baby girl lives in Yau Tong and developed fever and cough June 8. She sought treatment at a hospital emergency unit and is stable. Her parents had no travel history.
The younger boy lives in Tsuen Wan and studies in Cannan Kindergarten in Kowloon Tong. He was referred to hospital after consulting the designated flu clinic in Shau Kei Wan Saturday.
The 8-year-old primary student lives in Tseung Kwan O and attends Po Leung Kuk Fung Ching Memorial Primary School.
Neither of the boys have overseas travel histories nor any relation to confirmed cases. Tsang believed that they contracted the disease within the community.
The remaining eight new cases are imported, bringing the city's flu tally to 104.
Tsang said the decision to close schools came in time; otherwise the children would have transmitted the disease to other students in the same class.
He warned that the transmission has extended to other parts of the city and expected the number of cases to soar in the coming two weeks.
"The virus has now established in Hong Kong," Tsang said. "Everybody must take the responsibility to pay special attention to hygiene, such as washing hands and avoid going to crowded areas."
(HK Edition 06/16/2009 page1)