Killer flu strikes Asia, HK reports first case

The deadly H1N1 flu virus, which has claimed over 175 lives so far, has flown into Asia. Hong Kong authorities on Friday confirmed the first case after a 25-year-old Mexican man who flew in from Mexico via Shanghai was diagnosed with the flu.
A public health emergency has now been declared in Hong Kong, which is drawing on its experience of tackling the SARS epidemic in 2003 to impose draconian prevention and control measures.

“We have announced we are entering an emergency level of pandemic planning,” Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said on Friday. “I’d rather take a stricter approach than missing the opportunity to contain the virus before it spreads,” he added, but urged people not to panic.

The unidentified patient, who transited in Shanghai and arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday, is undergoing treatment at a city hospital. The downtown hotel where he checked in has been sealed off, and its guests and staff quarantined for seven days. An alert has been sounded to locate other passenger on the flight and those who came into contact with the passenger.

An intensive public hygiene campaign has been in force in Hong Kong since the H1N1 flu was detected in Mexico. Those measures are bound to be stepped up in the light of the latest deadly diagnosis.