Hong Kong Man Ill With Swine Flu After Phuket Holiday

[george]

Hong Kong man ill with swine flu after Phuket holiday

PHUKET CITY: -- A 33-year-old man from Hong Kong fell ill with human swine influenza following a stay on Phuket, the Gazette has learned.

The Hong Kong Department of Health said the man visited Phuket with a friend from June 4 to 8. He reportedly developed a cough on June 7.

The travelers returned to Hong Kong on Dragonair flight KA213 on June 8 at about 10.30pm.

The sick man sat in row 26 of the flight.

On returning to Hong Kong he declared his symptoms in the health declaration form and did not pass temperature screening.

He was taken to by ambulance to Princess Margaret Hospital, where he was placed in quarantine.

Dr Phadungkiat Uthoksaynee of the Phuket Public Health office said, “The Bureau of Epidemiology has already examined the information and reaffirmed that Thailand is not a source country for the disease. Most of our cases are imported cases.”

Dr Phadungkiat said there have been 13 cases of swine flu so far in Thailand.

All became infected abroad except in one case where a 19-year-old Thai male caught the disease, in Bangkok, from his mother after she was infected during a stay in the United States, he said.

“In Phuket we haven’t had a single case of the disease yet, not even an imported case,” Dr Phadungkiat said.

There have been 19 suspected cases on the island, but all have tested negative for swine flu, he added.

“The Bureau of Epidemiology confirms that the Hong Kong man was not infected in Thailand. The man could have been infected in Hong Kong or somewhere else before coming to Thailand,” he said.

“He definitely wasn’t infected in Phuket,” Dr Phagungkiat insisted.

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-06-10

[laocowboy2]

Cough 7th, arrived 4th. Could just have been infected in HKG before arrival (or on plane into Phuket) but I thought imcubation period before symptoms was only 2-3 days?

[spidermike007]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

[PingManDan]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

Yes you are right! I feel it was the World Health Organization that caused this panic, just to see how the world would react to a viral pandemic, just a test run to see if all was efficient around the world, it is all a bunch of BS.

[Jingthing]

This flu will subside within a couple more months

You are misinformed. It will be back in a different form during the winter flu season in the west. How dangerous it becomes is completely unknown. There most certainly is something to fear here.

[mich]

Cough 7th, arrived 4th. Could just have been infected in HKG before arrival (or on plane into Phuket) but I thought imcubation period before symptoms was only 2-3 days?

[/qu

How could anyone catch anything bad in such a clean country???? YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!

[Robbie Dye]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

Agreed, good biz for mask sellers tho!

[akarmaka]

from what i've heard only old or very young people have died from this disease. basically, people with a very low immune system. so the general population doesn't have much to worry about. the main concern would be the mutation of the disease.

[phanu]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

200% agree...

I got H3N5 / name : PIG FLU (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in THAILAND (Chiang Mai) last December... I went to hospital... and took Tamiflu pills...

Don't forget that more than 200 died only in Thailand last winter with this flu !!!

[minxwhale]

This flu will subside within a couple more months

You are misinformed. It will be back in a different form during the winter flu season in the west. How dangerous it becomes is completely unknown. There most certainly is something to fear here.

JIngthing is right. Just because it's been tame now, it still has great potential to mutate for the next flu season. Because it's a blend of swine, avian and human flu, the first strain ever found like that, the potential for calamity is higher than usual.

[phuketdiver]

Great - of all the headlines they could have chosen they had to go and use this one - searches for Phuket are going to bring this one up fast because of the "Swine Flu" searches elsewhere.

If he did not get it here, he is no longer here, and there are no related cases how is this news?

Does the Gazette not get that we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can to survive it - such irresponsible reporting only harms the island.

If people were being infected here for sure report it if you must but this is just an attempt at sensation journalism at its worst - only good thing to come from it is that the Gazette will probably get an increase in their hits on their website. No doubt another news story next week to say they hit XYZ number of visitors this month

There are so many nails going into the coffin wood is now the minor part

[ThaiFelix]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

Agreed, good biz for mask sellers tho!

Yeah, and what about the makers of Tamiflu...that name is now on everybodies lips...make a good advertising campaign eh.

[BlackJack]

This flu will subside within a couple more months

You are misinformed. It will be back in a different form during the winter flu season in the west. How dangerous it becomes is completely unknown. There most certainly is something to fear here.

viri by their very nature mutate

look at AIDS

over 20 years and still mutating

the common flu virus kills more than all the others forms

Tamiflu does not cure anything

it simply holds back the virus for a day or 2 - giving the body a chance to make anti bodies

i hope this is informative

[mads]

“He definitely wasn’t infected in Phuket,” Dr Phagungkiat insisted.

How can he be so sure ??? It's seems to me all they want is to look like a safe country and don't lose any tourism.

[Aqualogic]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

Sorry, you are not quite correct about the H1N1 flu virus. The reason all the experts and the WHO are so concerned about it is because H1N1 was exactly the format of the 1918 Spanish flu which killed more than 50 million people around the world in 6 months in its 3rd & 4th waves. That is indeed the other point of concern from almost every expert on this matter; we are only at the start of the 1st wave now with this H1N1 strain. This is definitely not something to be joking or complacent about and indeed the authorities are not, so with the right communication and responses we'll probably not have as high a death toll as 1918, but it is expected that this rapidly mutating virus (originating as H5N1) will get very deadly within the next 6-12 months. This is a nasty pathogen, it hits the young and strong people the hardest in the form of a cytokine storm (hypercytokinemia) look it up on Wikipedia before you start joking about it. Very Nasty - I'd rather be embarrassed than dead any day.

[Aqualogic]

No it is exactly the opposite of that

[cmrichsw]

Still not as dangerous as Songkran in Thailand - approx. 350 in 1 week.

[meelousee]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

Sorry, you are not quite correct about the H1N1 flu virus. The reason all the experts and the WHO are so concerned about it is because H1N1 was exactly the format of the 1918 Spanish flu which killed more than 50 million people around the world in 6 months in its 3rd & 4th waves. That is indeed the other point of concern from almost every expert on this matter; we are only at the start of the 1st wave now with this H1N1 strain. This is definitely not something to be joking or complacent about and indeed the authorities are not, so with the right communication and responses we'll probably not have as high a death toll as 1918, but it is expected that this rapidly mutating virus (originating as H5N1) will get very deadly within the next 6-12 months. This is a nasty pathogen, it hits the young and strong people the hardest in the form of a cytokine storm (hypercytokinemia) look it up on Wikipedia before you start joking about it. Very Nasty - I'd rather be embarrassed than dead any day.

Thanks I was about to say the same thing.

This H1N1 flu virus is potent and dangerous. The main reason for raising the flag and reporting it to the public.

The H1N1 flu virus is no jokeing matter, it is a killer

[Considered Opinion]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

Sorry, you are not quite correct about the H1N1 flu virus. The reason all the experts and the WHO are so concerned about it is because H1N1 was exactly the format of the 1918 Spanish flu which killed more than 50 million people around the world in 6 months in its 3rd & 4th waves. That is indeed the other point of concern from almost every expert on this matter; we are only at the start of the 1st wave now with this H1N1 strain. This is definitely not something to be joking or complacent about and indeed the authorities are not, so with the right communication and responses we'll probably not have as high a death toll as 1918, but it is expected that this rapidly mutating virus (originating as H5N1) will get very deadly within the next 6-12 months. This is a nasty pathogen, it hits the young and strong people the hardest in the form of a cytokine storm (hypercytokinemia) look it up on Wikipedia before you start joking about it. Very Nasty - I'd rather be embarrassed than dead any day.

Thanks I was about to say the same thing.

This H1N1 flu virus is potent and dangerous. The main reason for raising the flag and reporting it to the public.

The H1N1 flu virus is no jokeing matter, it is a killer

How long does he have to live?

[phuketster]

Great - of all the headlines they could have chosen they had to go and use this one - searches for Phuket are going to bring this one up fast because of the "Swine Flu" searches elsewhere.

If he did not get it here, he is no longer here, and there are no related cases how is this news?

Does the Gazette not get that we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can to survive it - such irresponsible reporting only harms the island.

If people were being infected here for sure report it if you must but this is just an attempt at sensation journalism at its worst - only good thing to come from it is that the Gazette will probably get an increase in their hits on their website. No doubt another news story next week to say they hit XYZ number of visitors this month

There are so many nails going into the coffin wood is now the minor part

Do you believe everything the public health office tells you? Just because some guy says the Hong Kong guy definitely didn't get swine flu here, doesn't mean he's right. If he started showing symptoms while on the island, it's possible he caught it here.

Besides, the Thai authorities have an obvious interest in playing down reports of swine flu in Phuket.

The Gazette's job is to report what is of interest to its readers. If someone may have caught swine flu in Phuket, people have a right to know.

Edited June 10, 2009 by phuketster

[VSteve]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

200% agree...

I got H3N5 / name : PIG FLU (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in THAILAND (Chiang Mai) last December... I went to hospital... and took Tamiflu pills...

Don't forget that more than 200 died only in Thailand last winter with this flu !!!

Something like this pops up every few years at least. It's something to blame something else on.

[Emeritus]

...If he did not get it here, he is no longer here, and there are no related cases how is this news?

Does the Gazette not get that we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can to survive it - such irresponsible reporting only harms the island...

Shooting the messenger, aren't you? I have seen other posters other posters in other threads ask why Phuket Gazette did not print some negative news about Phuket that were published elsewhere. You see, they are damned either way. But please, don't be shy and write to the editor of Phuket Gazette with your suggestion.

[phuketdiver]

Great - of all the headlines they could have chosen they had to go and use this one - searches for Phuket are going to bring this one up fast because of the "Swine Flu" searches elsewhere.

If he did not get it here, he is no longer here, and there are no related cases how is this news?

Does the Gazette not get that we are in an economic downturn and we need every advantage we can to survive it - such irresponsible reporting only harms the island.

If people were being infected here for sure report it if you must but this is just an attempt at sensation journalism at its worst - only good thing to come from it is that the Gazette will probably get an increase in their hits on their website. No doubt another news story next week to say they hit XYZ number of visitors this month

There are so many nails going into the coffin wood is now the minor part

Do you believe everything the public health office tells you? Just because some guy says the Hong Kong guy definitely didn't get swine flu here, doesn't mean he's right. If he started showing symptoms while on the island, it's possible he caught it here.

Besides, the Thai authorities have an obvious interest in playing down reports of swine flu in Phuket.

The Gazette's job is to report what is of interest to its readers. If someone may have caught swine flu in Phuket, people have a right to know.

Newspapers have a duty of care to their readers to be sure of the facts - the story stated that "officials" said that it had not been caught in Thailand yet there was no evidence to suggest the opposite - so why the sensationalist headline? Could it be because of a headline "Confirmed man did not contract Swine Flu in Phuket" is not going to get any visitors to their website.

If a person starts showing the systems of Malaria after visiting Iceland do you want to suggest he could have caught it there?

Do you have evidence of Swine Flu in Phuket? If not why jump to the conclusion that officials are playing it down - could it not be the simple case that there are not any cases on the island? There are after all thousands of places around the world that have no reported cases.

As a reader of the gazette i am interested in them getting facts right - not making mileage about a worldwide scare for their own benefit

[humfurry]

What the W.H.O fears is the mutations...a bit like the drug resistant strains of malaria that are evolving along the Thai/Cambodian border at the present. The fact that some people die and some recover might suggest to W.H.O. that this virus will mutate beyond the scope of drugs that are able to deal with it. Why? Carriers. How many times have you had a flu and the anti-biotics were changed? Because the virus mutated around the anti-biotic you took before. A lot of healthy young people died in Mexico, but the virus has been less of a threat elsewhere. Viruses think! They want to

survive...just like we do. W.H.O knows this. Hence their precautions on a global scale.

Just an uneducated guess....:-P

Edited June 10, 2009 by humfurry

[Maestro]

An nonsensical post about "The guys who Own all the Banks and all of your Governments in the World" has been deleted.

--

Maestro

[buddyholly1]

Who cares? This swine flu is one of the least harmful, and least dangerous flus that the world has seen in the last 100 years. So far

only a tiny fraction of people have been infected, and have died, as happens with the "normal" flus that are more common. There

is absolutely nothing to fear. This flu will subside within a couple more months, and alot of embarrassed people will be running around

wondering why they got so excited about nothing.

You must have excellent medical credentials to be able to talk so authoritavely.

[jbhh]

I believe the panic around the H1N1 is on purpose and wrong. "Comon" medication like Tamiflu can get rid of it, and people with a strong emune system wont die from it. The only "worrying" factor is the extremely fast mutation rate.

However, I find it very intersting that people/scientists believe the current A/H1N1 is a synthetic reproduction of the "Spanish flu".

Here are some excerpts from an article I read recently:

"Dr. Johan Hultin, from the State University of Iowa, successfully extracted genetic material from the corpse of an obese 30-something female who died from the Spanish flu in 1918, along with 85 percent of Brevig Mission’s (called Teller Mission in 1918) villagers in a single week. The pandemic killed at least 50 million people around the world."

"WMR has learned from a research scientist who has been working on the recreation of the 1918 flu that the genetic material has been re-engineered to synthetically create what is now known as the A/H1N1 virus, or as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls it, the “novel flu.”

"What is different about A/H1N1 is that, unlike other new strains of viruses that rapidly mutate upon emerging and then slow down mutation and then stop entirely, the “novel” or incorrectly-named “swine flu” is showing no signs yet of slowing down its mutation rate and that, according to scientists who worry about A/H1N1 being synthetically-generated, does not happen in nature."

Source: http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4724.shtml

[LifeConvo]

Over 50,000 deaths from normal H1 influenza in the last year in the US alone. I'd be more worried about that. Yes people argue that it could mutate, like SARS, Bird flu, etc etc

Still, sells newspapers though.

[LifeConvo]

I believe the panic around the H1N1 is on purpose and wrong. "Comon" medication like Tamiflu can get rid of it, and people with a strong emune system wont die from it. The only "worrying" factor is the extremely fast mutation rate.

However, I find it very intersting that people/scientists believe the current A/H1N1 is a synthetic reproduction of the "Spanish flu".

Here are some excerpts from an article I read recently:

"Dr. Johan Hultin, from the State University of Iowa, successfully extracted genetic material from the corpse of an obese 30-something female who died from the Spanish flu in 1918, along with 85 percent of Brevig Mission’s (called Teller Mission in 1918) villagers in a single week. The pandemic killed at least 50 million people around the world."

"WMR has learned from a research scientist who has been working on the recreation of the 1918 flu that the genetic material has been re-engineered to synthetically create what is now known as the A/H1N1 virus, or as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls it, the “novel flu.”

"What is different about A/H1N1 is that, unlike other new strains of viruses that rapidly mutate upon emerging and then slow down mutation and then stop entirely, the “novel” or incorrectly-named “swine flu” is showing no signs yet of slowing down its mutation rate and that, according to scientists who worry about A/H1N1 being synthetically-generated, does not happen in nature."

Source: http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4724.shtml

That is not a peer reviewed journal article.

[waza]

What the W.H.O fears is the mutations...a bit like the drug resistant strains of malaria that are evolving along the Thai/Cambodian border at the present. The fact that some people die and some recover might suggest to W.H.O. that this virus will mutate beyond the scope of drugs that are able to deal with it. Why? Carriers. How many times have you had a flu and the anti-biotics were changed? Because the virus mutated around the anti-biotic you took before. A lot of healthy young people died in Mexico, but the virus has been less of a threat elsewhere. Viruses think! They want to

survive...just like we do. W.H.O knows this. Hence their precautions on a global scale.

Just an uneducated guess....:-P

Antibiotics have no effect on a virus. You need antiviral medications