16 Jun 2009
The Department of Health (DH) today (June 16) advised a secondary school in Kowloon Tong to suspend classes for two weeks starting tomorrow (June 17) to stop the possible spread of human swine influenza (Influenza A H1N1) in the school.
The advice was made following the confirmation of two human swine influenza cases in the school involving a 13-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl, a DH spokesman said.
"They are Year 8 students of Australian International School Hong Kong with an influenza-like-illness outbreak today. Some 60 students were reported sick today.
"So far, 29 students of the school with respiratory symptoms have been identified. Arrangements of taking them to hospital for further management are being made," he said.
The boy lives in Park Avenue, Tai Kok Tsui. He developed fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat on June 14 and attended the Central Kowloon Designated Flu Clinic on the next day.
The girl lives in Sai Kung. She had onset of cough, fever and sore throat on June 14. She sought medical attention from a private doctor on June 15.
Respiratory swabs taken from them were tested positive to swine influenza today.
DH's investigation showed that both of them had no travel history and their last day attending school was June 12.
Investigations into the cases are ongoing.
The spokesman called on parents to pay attention to the health condition of their children, and to remind them to observe good personal and environmental hygiene.