AYG News Flash: Fifth H1N1 case hits Asian Youth Games

Monday, June 22, 2009 – Following the confirmation of three Influenza A (H1N1) cases from the Hong Kong football team this afternoon, two Hong Kong footballers have been isolated in the Medical Centre at Games Village today. One of them was tested positive in the evening and will be sent to the Singapore General Hospital for treatment.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases for the Hong Kong team to four, and the total number at the Games to five since the Asian Youth Games football preliminaries kicked off last Saturday.

Two Hong Kong footballers have not followed the team to Singapore after they have felt unwell during a training session in Hong Kong on the 18 June, and were subsequently deemed unfit to travel to Singapore with the team on 20 June.

On the evening of 21 June, the Hong Kong Department of Health notified the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore that the two athletes, who had remained in Hong Kong, were confirmed positive with Influenza A (H1N1).

Acting on the news from the Hong Kong Department of Health, MOH then interviewed the team and took swabs around midnight. The entire Hong Kong football team, along with 2 Singaporean liaison officers, were also given Tamiflu and were isolated within the Games Village.

When results of the 3 Hong Kong footballers were confirmed positive on 22 June, 11 players and 5 officials were sent to Aloha Resort for quarantine, while 2 Hong Kong players and 2 Singaporean liaison officers were isolated in the Medical Centre at Games Village, as they awaited the results of their swab tests.

The swab results of the 2 Singaporean liaison officers were released on the evening of 22 June and are reportedly negative.

They will be released from the isolation room as they are not deemed close contacts of the confirmed cases. They have been advised to monitor their own temperature daily, and seek medical attention if they feel unwell.