No Filipino “is affected” or has been placed under quarantine by Hong Kong authorities following the second confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1) in the former British colony.

The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong reported to its home office that there was no Filipino involved in the latest quarantine operations in the East Asian territory.

“An official from the Food and Health Department informed the Consulate last night that no Filipino is affected or under quarantine in relation to the new case,” Consul General Claro Cristobal said in a statement.

The Consulate immediately called Hong Kong health authorities to inquire if there are Filipinos under quarantine.
 
Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection has placed  under quarantine a 24-year-old local man who arrived from San Francisco last May 11, his relatives who welcomed the patient at the airport, and six individuals who had close contact with him on the flight.

It was declared as the city’s second “imported case of human–swine influenza.”

Hong Kong authorities said the patient was brought straight to the hospital from the airport and is now in medical isolation at Princess Margaret Hospital.

“Despite the good news, the Consulate reiterated to the Filipino community and those who intend to travel to Hong Kong to be vigilant and take precautionary measures,” the DFA statement said.

Last May 1, Hong Kong’s Department of Health imposed a seven-day quarantine after a guest at the Metropark Hotel was confirmed to have contracted the H1N1 influenza A strain (A/H1N1).

The four Filipinos quarantined at the Metropark Hotel in Wanchai, Hong Kong, were released and are in good condition. Among them are a Filipina who was billeted at the hotel with her son and her Australian husband, a Filipina from Cebu, and another Filipina from a third country.

The DFA maintained that there have been no reported cases of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by influenza virus.

The two largest mobile phone operators serving Filipinos in Hong Kong,  Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.’s (PLDT) SMART 1528 and Vodafone Smartone’s Barkadahan sa Smartone, agreed to issue regular SMS (short messaging system) broadcasts to remind the Filipino community to take precautionary measures as requested by the Consulate.

Several posts who have jurisdiction over the H1N1 influenza-affected areas have issued advisories to Filipino communities to take precautionary actions. They have also set up hotlines for Filipinos who have concerns or questions on A/H1N1.

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See also:

• DOH alerts Cordillera folk on meningo outbreak
• Meningococcemia being checked in Cebu
• Quick facts about meningococcemia
• Makati City closes hospital
• DOT, DOH to hold simulation drill on H1N1 virus