Hong Kong Ends Swine Flu Quarantine
By VOA News
08 May 2009
Hong Kong has lifted the week-long quarantine for about 300 guests and staff at a hotel where a Mexican who was infected with the influenza A-H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, had stayed.
The quarantine was lifted Friday.
Planned boost of medicine stockpiles
In Bangkok, Asian officials held two days of talks about the new virus. They agreed to increase stockpiles of medicine to fight the virus and consider ways to share supplies in case of a pandemic.
The talks Thursday and Friday included health ministers and other officials from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, along with China, Japan and South Korea.
WHO reports over 2,000 flu cases
The World Health Organization Friday said 24 countries have officially reported about 2,400 cases of the virus, with most of those infections in Mexico and the United States.
In Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak, officials said the virus was spreading more slowly and businesses and schools that were closed for several days have re-opened.
The WHO says Mexico has reported more than 1,100 cases of the new flu, including 42 deaths. It says the U.S. has reported 900 cases, including two deaths.
The acting director for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Richard Besser said officials expect to see far more cases in the U.S., as well as more deaths.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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