13 Jun 2009
A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) today (June 13) said the department was investigating 11 newly confirmed cases of human swine influenza (Influenza A H1N1).
This brings to 84 the total number of human swine influenza cases in Hong Kong.
The first newly confirmed case involved a 28-year-old woman who returned to Hong Kong from the Philippines on June 10. She had onset of cough on June 11 and fever on June 12. She was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on the same day for isolation.
The second case is a 17-year-old woman who returned to Hong Kong from Thailand on June 12 by taking a flight of Bangkok Airways (flight no. PG805). She sat in row 9 of the flight.
She developed fever, cough and vomiting on June 11. She was intercepted by Port Health Office and was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) by ambulance for isolation.
The third case involved a 21-year-old man who returned to Hong Kong from Vancouver on June 12 by taking a flight of Air Canada (flight no. AC007, codeshare Thai Airways TG5867). He sat in row 51 of the flight.
He had onset of cough and sore throat before boarding the flight and was taken to PMH from the airport for isolation.
The fourth case involved a 27-year-old man living in Canada. He arrived in Hong Kong from Canada on June 12 by taking a flight of Air Canada (flight no. AC15). He sat in row 40 of the flight.
He had fever during the journey and was intercepted by Port Health Office. He was taken to PMH for isolation by ambulance.
The fifth case involved a 19-year-old woman. She returned to Hong Kong from the Mainland by train on June 10. She developed fever on June 12 and was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital for isolation.
The sixth case involved a 36-year-old man who returned to Hong Kong from Thailand on June 10 by taking a flight of Orient Thai Airlines (flight no. OX200). He sat in row 6 of the flight.
He had onset of fever, cough and sore throat on June 11 and was admitted to United Christian Hospital (UCH) on the next day for isolation.
The seventh case is a 15-year-old girl studying in the United States. She returned to Hong Kong via Tokyo on June 11 by taking a flight of Northwest Airlines (flight no. NW7). She sat in row 33 of the flight.
She developed sore throat on June 11 and fever on the next day. She was admitted to UCH on June 12 for isolation.
The eight to tenth cases involved a three-member family, a 39 year old man, his wife (40-year-old) and the daughter (19-year-old).
The man returned to Hong Kong from Thailand on June 10 by taking a flight of China Airlines (flight no. CI642). He sat in row 17 of the flight. He had onset of fever, cough, runny nose and chills on June 10. The wife and the daughter developed fever and cough on June 12. Three of them were admitted to UCH on June 13 for isolation.
The last case is a 13-year-old girl studying in St Paul Convent School. She developed diarrhea and cough on June 10 and was admitted to PMH on June 12.
Laboratory analysis on respiratory samples taken from the patients yielded positive results for human swine influenza today.
DH is now tracing passengers sitting in rows 7-11 of PG805 arrived in Hong Kong on June 12, those sitting in rows 50-53 of AC007 arrived in Hong Kong on June 12, and those sitting on rows 38-42 of AC15 arrived in Hong Kong on June 12, those sitting in rows 4-8 of OX200 arrived in Hong Kong on June 10, those sitting in rows 31-35 of NW7 arrived in Hong Kong on June 11, and those sitting in rows 15-19 of CI642 arrived in Hong Kong on June 10, and crew members of the flights concerned who had served the affected sections of the cabins concerned as well as other close contacts of the patients.
Passengers who had travelled on the concerned flights are urged to call the DH hotline 2125 1111.
Investigations into the cases are ongoing.
"DH today received a total of 52 specimens from Designated Flu Clinics. Laboratory results are pending," the spokesman said.
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.