3 Jun 2009
A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) today (June 3) said that the department was investigating a newly confirmed case of human swine influenza (Influenza A H1N1).
This brings to 27 the total number of human swine influenza cases in Hong Kong. All of them are imported cases.
The case involved a 34-year-old man who returned to Hong Kong with his wife from New York by taking a flight of Cathay Pacific (flight no. CX831, codeshare American Airlines AA6091) in the evening of June 2. He sat in row 34 of the flight.
The couple took the Airport Express to Central where they went to their home in Villa Monte Rosa, Wan Chai by taxi.
DH's investigation showed that the man had onset of headache, fever and myalgia in the morning of June 3. His driver took the couple to the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital where the man was transferred to Ruttonjee Hospital by ambulance. He was admitted for isolation. He was later transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.
His family members and the driver are asymptomatic.
Laboratory analysis on respiratory sample taken from the patient yielded positive results for human swine influenza today.
DH is now tracing passengers sitting in rows 31-37 of CX831 arrived in Hong Kong on June 2 and crew members who had served the affected section concerned as well as other close contacts of the patient.
Passengers who had travelled on the flight concerned are urged to call the DH's hotline 2125 1111.
The spokesman also called on the taxi driver who took the 34-year-old man and a woman from Central to Villa Monte Rosa in the evening of June 2 to call DH hotline.
Investigation into the case is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the spokesman called on passengers who took a flight of Cathay Pacific (flight no. CX889) to Hong Kong on May 28 to contact DH hotline as eight other passengers, three of them from the same family, onboard the flight who subsequently went to Fujian were confirmed to have infected with human swine influenza by the Mainland health authority.
Furthermore, the spokesman appealed to the 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.