<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Filipino AYG athlete has H1N1
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Footballer's illness will not affect the Games; participants' safety a paramount concern </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Leonard Lim
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The Philippine football team being taken to the Aloha Loyang Resort after one of its members tested positive for the H1N1 flu. The infected teen is in the CDC. His 17 teammates and two coaches are quarantined at the resort, where health officials (above) will be checking up on them. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A teenage Filipino footballer in town for the inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) is down with Influenza A (H1N1). But organisers said yesterday that the event would go on as scheduled and that the health and safety of the participants remained their paramount concern.
The 14-year-old boy arrived last Thursday with his teammates and developed symptoms on Friday afternoon, organisers said at a press conference at Swissotel the Stamford, the Games Village where the athletes and officials are housed.
He was found to have a fever during routine temperature taking. He sought medical attention at the village's medical centre and was placed in an isolation room.
Laboratory results confirmed his infection yesterday, and he was admitted to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC). His condition is stable.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said the discovery of the H1N1 case was in a sense 'an anticipated event' and showed that robust contingency measures were working.
He added: 'We're fortunate that we've been able to detect it early, been able to take appropriate action to treat the boy, to identify close contacts, to take adequate precautions for them.'
He said that the AYG would continue, and there were no delays for now.
About 1,400 athletes and several hundred officials from 45 countries are expected for the AYG, which starts on June 29 and ends on July 7. It is a test event for next year's Youth Olympic Games.
As to whether the AYG could be postponed if more H1N1 cases surface when the main contingents start arriving later this week, Dr Balakrishnan said this would be sorted out in the coming days.
He added: 'But I want to send this clear message to all parents, that we are taking the safety and health of their children as our first, and paramount, concern.
'And if we can assure that, then the Games can go on, and we can keep the spirit going.'
One Singaporean liaison officer was sent to the CDC for observation, while another is resting at home. Test showed the first officer does not have H1N1.
While the AYG football competition kicked off yesterday ahead of the June 29 opening ceremony as scheduled, all Group A matches involving the Philippine team have been postponed.
They were supposed to play against Chinese Taipei yesterday at Meridian Junior College.
Iran is the other team in the group. North Korea, China and Hong Kong are among the other 12 teams competing in the tournament.
Close contacts of the infected teen - his 17 teammates and two coaches - will be quarantined at the Aloha Loyang Resort for six days. Three buses ferrying the young footballers were seen arriving at the centre yesterday evening.
The quarantine is in accordance with the AYG's H1N1 contingency plans that were announced on the same day the Filipinos arrived.
Among the contingency measures instituted: Athletes were advised to get vaccinations against the seasonal flu two weeks before arriving.
Mr Jose Mari Martinez, the Philippines' deputy chef-de-mission, told The Sunday Times that this was done by his football team. He added that the rest of the country's contingent would arrive next week, and there would be no pull-outs.
Dr Jeffrey Cutter, a senior consultant at the Communicable Diseases Division at the Ministry of Health, said there was no indication of any spread beyond the initial case.
'It's most likely that he got infected in the Philippines before he came,' he added.
Swissotel said in response to queries that business would carry on, and that it was sanitising and cleaning the affected rooms in line with Health Ministry guidelines.
Singapore's footballers have not checked into Swissotel yet, as they start their campaign only on Saturday.
As hosts, they do not need to play in the current qualifying tournament.
A revised fixture list is expected soon. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Footballer's illness will not affect the Games; participants' safety a paramount concern </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Leonard Lim
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
The Philippine football team being taken to the Aloha Loyang Resort after one of its members tested positive for the H1N1 flu. The infected teen is in the CDC. His 17 teammates and two coaches are quarantined at the resort, where health officials (above) will be checking up on them. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A teenage Filipino footballer in town for the inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) is down with Influenza A (H1N1). But organisers said yesterday that the event would go on as scheduled and that the health and safety of the participants remained their paramount concern.
The 14-year-old boy arrived last Thursday with his teammates and developed symptoms on Friday afternoon, organisers said at a press conference at Swissotel the Stamford, the Games Village where the athletes and officials are housed.
He was found to have a fever during routine temperature taking. He sought medical attention at the village's medical centre and was placed in an isolation room.
Laboratory results confirmed his infection yesterday, and he was admitted to the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC). His condition is stable.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan said the discovery of the H1N1 case was in a sense 'an anticipated event' and showed that robust contingency measures were working.
He added: 'We're fortunate that we've been able to detect it early, been able to take appropriate action to treat the boy, to identify close contacts, to take adequate precautions for them.'
He said that the AYG would continue, and there were no delays for now.
About 1,400 athletes and several hundred officials from 45 countries are expected for the AYG, which starts on June 29 and ends on July 7. It is a test event for next year's Youth Olympic Games.
As to whether the AYG could be postponed if more H1N1 cases surface when the main contingents start arriving later this week, Dr Balakrishnan said this would be sorted out in the coming days.
He added: 'But I want to send this clear message to all parents, that we are taking the safety and health of their children as our first, and paramount, concern.
'And if we can assure that, then the Games can go on, and we can keep the spirit going.'
One Singaporean liaison officer was sent to the CDC for observation, while another is resting at home. Test showed the first officer does not have H1N1.
While the AYG football competition kicked off yesterday ahead of the June 29 opening ceremony as scheduled, all Group A matches involving the Philippine team have been postponed.
They were supposed to play against Chinese Taipei yesterday at Meridian Junior College.
Iran is the other team in the group. North Korea, China and Hong Kong are among the other 12 teams competing in the tournament.
Close contacts of the infected teen - his 17 teammates and two coaches - will be quarantined at the Aloha Loyang Resort for six days. Three buses ferrying the young footballers were seen arriving at the centre yesterday evening.
The quarantine is in accordance with the AYG's H1N1 contingency plans that were announced on the same day the Filipinos arrived.
Among the contingency measures instituted: Athletes were advised to get vaccinations against the seasonal flu two weeks before arriving.
Mr Jose Mari Martinez, the Philippines' deputy chef-de-mission, told The Sunday Times that this was done by his football team. He added that the rest of the country's contingent would arrive next week, and there would be no pull-outs.
Dr Jeffrey Cutter, a senior consultant at the Communicable Diseases Division at the Ministry of Health, said there was no indication of any spread beyond the initial case.
'It's most likely that he got infected in the Philippines before he came,' he added.
Swissotel said in response to queries that business would carry on, and that it was sanitising and cleaning the affected rooms in line with Health Ministry guidelines.
Singapore's footballers have not checked into Swissotel yet, as they start their campaign only on Saturday.
As hosts, they do not need to play in the current qualifying tournament.
A revised fixture list is expected soon. [email protected]
