Mexico flight passengers quarantined

By Zhu Zhe in Beijing and Teddy Ng in Hong Kong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-04 07:29

In Beijing, 15 people are at Guomenlu Hotel; and 28 are under quarantine in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong.

In Hong Kong, the risk of the flu spreading exists as the authorities have not located some 50 guests at the hotel where the Mexican briefly stayed as well as the taxi driver who took the patient to hospital.

Some 300 guests and staff of Metropark Hotel in Wan Chai, where the patient stayed, are quarantined.

One of the guests, surnamed Yang, said he was frustrated.

"My flight back to Beijing will depart tomorrow. My permit will expire," he said.

Hong Kong's Home Affairs Department director Pamela Tan said the government will help arrange flight tickets for the guests, and pay for the cost.

In Beijing, Health Ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an admitted yesterday that the first confirmed case in Hong Kong has "greatly increased the possibility of the epidemic spreading to the mainland".

"Our precautionary measures face a real test," he said.

Starting yesterday, the ministry began a daily surveillance report on the epidemic. The "zero report" mechanism, which was introduced during the SARS epidemic in 2003, requires local health authorities to submit a daily report on the disease even if no case is identified.

Meanwhile, anyone coming from places where the flu was reported should have their temperature checked twice, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

People entering the country are required to fill in personal health statement cards to strengthen control efforts, it said.

According to the World Health Organization, 17 countries and regions reported 787 cases by yesterday afternoon.

The virus has killed 19 in Mexico and one in the United States, the WHO said.

China has developed an effective method for quick diagnosis which takes less than 12 hours after samples are taken, said Zhang Yanping, a researcher with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

The kit will be sent to 84 labs across the country, he said.

China is also awaiting samples of the virus from the WHO to produce its own vaccine, Zhang said, adding that it could take at least three to four months for production.

Even with all these measures, experts said, it is not possible to block the spread of the disease completely.

"Infected people don't show any symptom during the latent period. It's extremely hard to find them," said Wang Jian, another researcher with China CDC.

Wang Hongyi in Shanghai and Qiu Quanlin in Guangzhou contributed to the story

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