The measures taken by Hong Kong health authorities following the confirmation of the first case of Influenza A/H1N1 in the city, including quarantining a hotel where the patient stayed, were prudent but appropriate, a microbiologist said Sunday.
Speaking at a daily briefing on the latest flu-related developments, renowned infectious disease expert Yuen Kwok-yung insisted that the Hong Kong government has good reasons to be prudent, given that what is known about the new strain was "not sufficient to lead to a scientific set of measures that can warrant success."
Yuen was a leading member of the University of Hong Kong research team that won international acclaim for their work in identifying the new virus of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003. He currently heads the Department of Microbiology at the university.
Yuen said the new virus may be drastically different from SARS, but Hong Kong needs to draw on past experiences, like the measures put in place to fight the 2003 SARS outbreak that claimed many lives in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong reported its first confirmed case of Influenza A/H1N1on Friday. It involved a 25-year-old Mexican man who arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon by air via Shanghai. The patient checked into the Metropark Hotel in Wanchai, Hong Kong. He developed flu symptoms hours later and sought medical help at a nearby hospital.
Hong Kong authorities immediately quarantined the hotel and have since been trying to identify and track down those who may have been in contact with the patient, including companions, friends, flight passengers, hotel staff and guests and taxi drivers.
Nevertheless, Hong Kong may adjust its strategy later in dealing with Influenza A/H1N1 with the help of the knowledge and statistics acquired from dealing with the confirmed case, Yuen said.
The Mexican patient was now in stable condition in Hong Kong. There has been no new confirmed case of Influenza A/H1N1 so far.
(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2009)
