2 Jun 2009
A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) today (June 2) said that the department was investigating three newly confirmed cases of human swine influenza (Influenza A H1N1).
This brings to 26 the total number of human swine influenza cases in Hong Kong. All of them are imported cases.
The first case involved an eight-year-old boy living in Puerto Rico. The boy, accompanied by his mother, a younger brother and three members of another family left Puerto Rico on May 28 for New York where they took a flight of Cathay Pacific (flight no. CX831) to Hong Kong on May 29.
The boy and his mother and brother took an airbus to a relative’s home in Wah Ming Estate, Fanling.
The boy had onset of sore throat and cough in the evening of May 30. The symptoms subsided after taking over-the-counter medications.
He developed fever on June 1 and consulted a private doctor in Wah Ming Estate. He was referred to North District Hospital by ambulance for isolation.
His family members are asymptomatic.
The second case involved a 19-year-old man studying in San Francisco. He returned to Hong Kong on May 30 from San Francisco by taking a flight of Singapore Airlines (flight no. SQ1)
The man stayed with his mother, a younger sister, a cousin and a domestic helper in Kai Tak Garden, Wong Tai Sin.
He developed shortness of breath and headache in the morning of May 31 and had onset of fever in the afternoon.
He was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital by ambulance on June 1 for isolation.
His family contacts are asymptomatic.
The third case involved a 20-year-old man studying in New York. He returned to Hong Kong on May 28 by taking a flight of Cathay Pacific (flight no. CX889).
He developed fever, headache and cough in the evening of June 1. He, accompanied by two sisters, took a taxi to the United Christian Hospital (UCH). He was admitted for isolation. His family members are asymptomatic.
Laboratory analysis on respiratory sample taken from the three patients yielded positive results for human swine influenza today.
As the three patients had onset of symptoms more than 12 hours after arriving Hong Kong, the Centre for Health Protection would not trace the passengers of the flights concerned.
DH is now tracing the close contact of the three patients.
The spokesman urged the taxi driver who took the 20-year-old male patient and two women from Lok Wah North Estate, Kwun Tong to UCH on June 1 at around 11pm to call DH hotline 2125 1111.
Investigations into the three cases are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the spokesman called on members of the public to advise their children, relatives or friends coming to Hong Kong from abroad to defer their trips if they developed symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat.
"To protect their own health and that of other travellers, they should seek medical attention where they are.
"If they feel unwell on the plane, they should wear a face mask and inform cabin crew immediately," the spokesman said.