HK closes all primary schools as flu claims three lives

Six outbreaks at schools, a hospital and a nursing home since March 6
Caryn Yeo, Straits Times 13 Mar 08;

ALL kindergartens and primary schools in Hong Kong have been ordered closed for two weeks from today, after three children died from what has been described as influenza-like symptoms.

The move, announced late yesterday, followed a decision earlier in the day to shut one school where several pupils fell ill and one boy died on Tuesday.

In separate cases, a two-year-old boy died last month and a three-year-old girl died last week, also after developing flu symptoms.

Hong Kong has been hit by a flu outbreak that has landed many in hospital or seeking treatment. Reports said health officials have confirmed at least six outbreaks at schools, a hospital and a nursing home for the elderly since March 6.

News of the latest death clearly left many Hong Kongers anxious, bringing to mind memories of the 2003 Sars nightmare.

Adults and children were seen going out wearing face masks yesterday, just as they did during Sars, which left almost 300 dead in Hong Kong and spread to other countries, including Singapore.

The Hong Kong government said a team of experts will investigate the recent deaths and assess the risk of the new outbreak.

It will be headed by Hong Kong University microbiology professor Yuen Kwok Yung, one of the key investigators during the Sars outbreak.

The closure of schools is the first since Sars and was announced by Secretary for Food and Health York Chow.

'We will monitor the incident on a day-to-day basis to see what the trend is,' he said, pledging to reveal any findings as soon as possible.

It was the death of seven-year-old Law Ho-ming on Tuesday that prompted fears that the outbreak had worsened. He was admitted to hospital last week in a semi-conscious state.

Five other pupils from the school are in hospital with similar symptoms, but were reported to be in stable condition.

Their school was the first to be shut yesterday, as the authorities pondered whether to bring forward the Easter holidays and close other schools.

Centre for Health Protection controller Thomas Tsang told reporters that he was 'very concerned' about the deaths.

Samples from the children had tested positive for influenza A, he said. No link has been made yet between the deaths, officials said.

Even before the government decision to close schools last night, some parents and schools in the territory of seven million were not taking chances.

A spokesman for Tsing Yi Kindergarten told The Straits Times that it had decided to close as a number of pupils and staff had developed flu symptoms.

The YL Public Middle School Alumni Association Primary School also decided to close as a precaution.

'Last week, we had 32 students apply for sick leave, and the number of students applying... jumped to 85 on Tuesday and 99 on Wednesday,' vice-principal Chan Chi Hung was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying.

Mrs Anne Chue, mother of a two-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, told The Straits Times that she has been keeping her children home from kindergarten since Tuesday.

'After Sars, most parents are taking all the precautions they can,' she said.

In Singapore, a Health Ministry spokesman said the ministry had been in contact with the public health authorities in Hong Kong.

The spokesman said: 'We understand that the Hong Kong authorities have determined that the illness is due to influenza and the strain isolated is one of the circulating human seasonal influenza strains (A/H3).

'Our ongoing influenza surveillance in Singapore has not shown any unusual increase so far.'

Hong Kong shuts schools amid flu outbreak
Channel NewsAsia 13 Mar 08;

HONG KONG : Hong Kong education and health officials on Wednesday ordered all primary schools and kindergartens to close for two weeks amid a flu outbreak.

In an announcement posted on its website, the Hong Kong Education Bureau said: "All kindergartens, kindergartens-cum-child care centres, primary schools and special schools will begin the Easter holiday from March 13 to March 28."

Health secretary York Chow said the move was a precautionary measure against the spread of influenza in schools, according to the Government Information Service (GIS).

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) received reports of outbreaks of flu-like illness affecting 23 schools involving a total of 184 people on Wednesday, GIS said.

A CHP spokesman said the illnesses could be caused by flu or other respiratory viruses.

GIS said laboratory tests on a seven-year-old boy who died after suffering respiratory and neurological symptoms showed positive results for influenza A (H1N1).

Initial tests on a three-year-old boy currently in a stable condition in hospital also showed positive results for the same strain.

Recent flu cases had caused anxiety and pressure among both parents and school management as to whether to allow children to attend schools, especially where there was an outbreak of the virus, Chow said.

"As the Easter holiday is only a week away, we decided to ask all the primary schools, kindergartens and nursery schools to take an early break for two weeks," Chow told reporters, according to GIS.

"This is both a precautionary as well as an administrative decision. During the break, schools will be thoroughly cleansed and the two-week period is two times of the incubation period for the virus," Chow added.

"We hope the break would minimise the chance of infection for these young children so that they can have a clean and healthy environment when they return after the holidays."

He said there was no indication that the virus was more virulent than the usual flu virus but said scientists would continue to investigate.

The decision to close the schools was made at a meeting of health, education and hospital authority officials. - AFP/de