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Filipino seafarer with A(H1N1) dies in HK


Fight against flu


The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong advised Filipinos working and living there to practice the following safety precautions against the AH1N1 virus: 1. Refrain from attending public gatherings if you have symptoms of influenza; 2. Wear a surgical mask if you have fever or symptoms of respiratory tract infection. 3. Seek medical advice promptly; 4. Keep hands clean and wash hands properly; 5. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth; 6. Wash hands with liquid soap promptly if they are contaminated by respiratory tract secretions; 7. Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharges properly; 8. Always wrap nasal and mouth discharges with tissue paper, and dispose of the tissue paper properly in a lidded rubbish bin. Filipinos in the territory who are affected by the spread of the A/H1N1 influenza are encouraged to send a text message or call the Consulate’s 24-hour hotline at 9155-4023. Hong Kong has more than 130,000 Filipinos, most of them working as domestic helpers with two-year contracts. - GMANews.TV
MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino seafarer infected with the A(H1N1) virus has died in Hong Kong, the Philippine Consulate General reported Thursday. In a statement, the consulate said the 42-year-old seaman from La Union province in the northern Philippines was infected with both A(H1N1) influenza and the bacterium Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA). The consulate did not identify the seaman, but said his family has been informed about his death last July 10. According to the consulate, the seaman experienced fever, cough and chest pains on July 3 while aboard the Greek-registered container ship MSC Mykonos, which left Hong Kong on June 30. On July 8, the ship returned to Hong Kong and the seaman was immediately brought to the Ruttonjee Hospital where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. “Afterward, health authorities reported that he began experiencing respiratory failure and was subsequently placed under intensive care. In the morning of July 10, the patient began experiencing multiple organ failure. Doctors tried to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful. He was declared dead noon of the same day," the statement said. Consul General Claro Cristobal has personally assured the seafarer’s family of the Philippine government’s assistance in the repatriation of the Filipino worker’s remains. Earlier, Philippine officials in the Chinese territory stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of the A(H1N1) virus following reports that a 37-year-old Filipina domestic helper was in critical condition after being diagnosed with the mutant flu strain. The Filipina domestic helper, who hails from Tarlac, was the second patient reported to suffer from a serious case of the swine flu. [See: Pinay maid in HK with A(H1N1) critical - report] Vice Consul Val Roque said the Filipina had suffered from pneumonia upon her arrival in Hong Kong on June 29 from Manila. Roque confirmed that the Filipina’s condition was widely reported in Hong Kong but shrugged off speculations that the news might spark discrimination against the 130,000 Filipinos working there, mostly as domestic helpers. Six other Filipinos who were infected with mild swine flu in Hong Kong have fully recovered, Roque said. - Kimberly Jane Tan, GMANews.TV
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