Posted on 05/01/2009 9:40:01 AM PDT by Grampa Dave
Hong Kong reports 1st confirmed swine flu in Asia
17 minutes ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gnKz6JKf1o0Bic6UrduEAAlxyQ1wD97TF4O81
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader says territory has detected swine flu, in Asia’s first confirmed case
Freeper Pete Just Posted This important tidbit !
More details on Hong Kong case. (Bold is mine for emphasis)
Hong Kong confirmed Asia’s first case of the new H1N1 flu virus in a Mexican traveller on Friday, prompting authorities to seal off the hotel where the 25-year old man had been staying. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters the man arrived on a China Eastern flight on Thursday afternoon after a stopover in Shanghai. He had a fever and went to Ruttonjee Hospital for help on Thursday evening, Tsang said. The Mexican is now in hospital in a stable condition. The confirmation of the H1N1 infection was made by a laboratory at the University of Hong Kong.
“He didn’t leave the hotel (except to go to hospital) because he was feeling sick,” Health Minister York Chow told a news conference.
Two companions of the Mexican and a friend he met in Hong Kong were now in isolation wards at another hospital, he said. Tsang said he had accepted the recommendation of government health experts to seal off the Metropark hotel in Wanchai district where the Mexican was staying. Dozens of police wearing surgical masks stood guard both inside and outside the hotel late on Friday. Hotel guests were prevented from leaving while outsiders could not get in.
“I assure you the Hong Kong government will try its best to conquer the virus,” Tsang said. “At the present moment, I would prefer to do it more stringently instead of missing the opportunity to control the spread of the virus.”
Chow said the hotel had about 200 guests and over 100 staff and they would be quarantined for seven days. He urged those who were not in the hotel as well as taxi drivers who took the Mexican to the hotel and to hospital to report to authorities. The drastic action left some visitors distressed.
Cinmei Sinaga from Indonesia was left standing for hours on the pavement with her eight-month-old daughter. “I don’t feel that they are doing anything to help me. I just need my passport but we cannot go to another hotel and my baby needs to sleep. I feel scared,” she told Reuters.
The affluent financial hub on the south coast of China is widely seen as one of the best-prepared Asian cities to deal with the new H1N1 flu virus, given its experience in handling sporadic outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu, as well as SARS in 2003 which killed 299 people. The order to seal off the Metropark hotel brought back memories of how SARS started in Hong Kong in February 2003. A doctor from mainland China who knew he had been infected with SARS had travelled to Hong Kong to try to seek medical help. But before he could get admitted to hospital, he infected eight people in a lift lobby of the Metropole hotel where he was staying. Some of them then went on to spread the disease in Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Vietnam.
To tackle the H1N1 flu virus, Hong Kong authorities have beefed up surveillance at airports and hospitals, improved public health response systems and stockpiled over 20 million doses of the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu.
“were given a $20 ship credit to compensate for the missed port, a Carnival spokeswoman said.
The generosity of Carnival is astounding... “
Like you, I was under whelmed at Carnival’s generosity.
I wish there was someway you could set up an easy to read time line for these events on FR or have a link that does it.
Good stuff, but hard to keep in a linear way of thinking like the rest of the current flu events.
bol
“If they tried to reschedule my Caribbean cruise for the Pacific Northwest, I would be pissed.
If I wanted fog and rain in ocean water colder than an icebox (I have been to Oregon....beautiful.....but water colder than all get out), I would have chosen that destination.”
We like Princess cruises, but I had to send them an email to keep me off lists re cruise during non desireable seasons like cruising the Panama Canal in July/August or Alaska in May or October.
That makes good sense , Thanks !
We avoid the so called shopping off shore events and like to take the smaller boats into non shopping areas with beaches, good food ashore or on the boat, cervezas and margaritas.
rassis cruise ships!
I’d rather visit Bermuda.
Bermuda is probably not safe at this time. It was beautiful.
bol
That is basically in the Center of Mexico isn’t it?
I don’t understand your post.
Lately we don’t bother getting off the boat except for Grand Cayman. Mexico and Jamaica or nothing but tourist traps. Also every year the people who hang outside the shops have gotten ruder.
Yes it is....
I assume your relatives are talking about the one in Guanajuato?
The Mariner of the Seas pulled into San FRan and passengers were not thrilled being dropped off in a cold water port.
They had spent 8 hours ashore in Cabo where no cases have been reported to date and then sailed at sea for 4 days and then delivered them to San FRan, an area where many reports of swiny flu have been reported..
Ironic?
We’re headed to Alaska next month out of San FRan, btw..
Sounds like Frisco was the highest bid to get that ship.
Have a good cruise.
If anyone going with you gets sea sick, you might want to get a couple of patches.
It can be fairly rough at that time of the year going under the GG and through the potato patch with the winds heading in shore to cool down Sacramento.
Then, where my wife and others got seasick was where they drop the pilot off and headed up North out past the California Coast. She had a patch and didn’t put it on and was miserable until the next day. Thank God for fresh air, 7 up and crackers for her that first night. Coming back she put on the patch when we left BC.
Take a laugh break from the Flu and the White Lies House of 0b0z0 and go to this great thread.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2240628/posts
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