Another H1N1 case in ICU

A 49-YEAR-OLD man, confirmed to have Influenza A (H1N1), was admitted to Changi General Hospital's intensive care unit yesterday.

The patient, who has diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, was in critical condition, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

He was warded in intensive care immediately after he sought treatment at CGH's emergency department in the morning.

The patient had flu-like symptoms over the past four days, including severe pneumonia.

Two other H1N1 patients - a pregnant woman and a kidney transplant patient - are in stable condition in ICU at KK Hospital and the Singapore General Hospital, respectively.

Another 51-year-old male patient at CGH was moved out of ICU yesterday.

"If he continues to recover, he can expect to be discharged soon," said the MOH.

There are now 36 - down from 50 on Wednesday - confirmed H1N1 patients hospitalised.

H1N1: Pregnant woman, kidney patient in ICU

A 22-year-old pregnant woman and a 45-year-old kidney transplant patient are the two latest patients to be warded in the intensive care unit after being infected with the H1N1 virus.

The transplant patient, a woman with multiple co-mobidities including diabetes and hypertension, was in critical condition at the Singapore General Hospital, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday. She had been taking immunosuppressants due to her kidney transplant in 2006.

After two days of vomiting and diarrhoea, she was admitted on July 4 and transferred to the ICU on July 12 when her condition worsened.

Laboratory tests confirmed she had H1N1.

The younger woman, who is 24 weeks pregnant with no underlying medical conditions, was admitted to KK Women's and Children's Hospital on July 13, when she developed pneumonia. She had tested positive for H1N1 at a private hospital. The next day, she was transferred to the ICU for closer monitoring as her oxygen requirement increased, said MOH.

There are currently 50 H1N1 patients in hospital. The 51-year-old patient who was reported to be in intensive care last Friday, is still in ICU but in stable condition, said MOH. ALICIA WONG

Man, 63, in ICU

NEW CASES: 56

TOTAL CASES: 1,111

A 63-year-old man - one of 56 new H1N1 cases reported here yesterday - is now in the Intensive Care Unit of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, after suffering complications such as pneumonia and heart disease.

He had sought emergency treatment on Sunday, three days after flu-like symptoms emerged, and was isolated immediately.

After H1N1 was confirmed, he began Tamiflu antiviral treatment that night, but was transferred to the ICU yesterday morning due to multiple existing conditions such as coronary heart disease, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (high levels of fat in the blood).

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said last night his condition was being monitored closely.

Another member of the Asian Youth Games contingent has also tested positive for H1N1. A 40-year-old Indonesian man developed symptoms last Thursday and was treated by the team's doctor. He went to the AYG Medical Centre three days later.

Two of his contacts were issued Home Quarantine Orders and are currently well; the man was not in close contact with any of the athletes.

Thirteen in 100 cases of influenza-like illness are now of the H1N1 strain, according to bio-surveillance data from local clinics and hospitals.

"As observed in other countries, this proportion will grow as the virus spreads further in the community, and displaces other influenza strains," said the MOH.

Meanwhile, Veredus Laboratories announced that it had developed a chip that can identify and differentiate among all human sub-types of Influenza A and B.

The portable chip can detect in two hours what previously took weeks to learn. Veredus chief executive Rosemary Tan said the next step is to enable the chip to check for drug resistance in the H1N1 strain as it mutates.

She took photos of herself to put on Facebook

Changi Airport staff member suspected of H1N1 flu kept positive during hospital stay

MOST people would want to forget about a hospital stay.

But Ms Nurul Mohd Sali was so keen to share her experience with others that she took pictures of herself with her handphone when she was warded for a day at the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC2) and uploaded them onto Facebook.

The 21-year-old was there about two months ago after a general practitioner suspected her of having the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.

She works in a duty-free shop at Changi Airport's Terminal 3.

At around 5pm on 30 Apr, Ms Nurul came down with a high fever.

Recounting her experience to The New Paper on Sunday, she said: 'I felt feverish and my body was aching. I was also coughing but still could walk to my company doctor (at the airport).

'I thought I was close to having brain damage as my temperature was so high. It was 41 deg C according to the clinic.'

Ms Nurul was then given a surgical mask to put on. The doctor also called for an ambulance to take her to CDC2.

'The doctor thought it could be H1N1. I was concerned but I expected the doctor to react that way as my fever was so high. He said it was best I be placed on a drip,' she said.

'I was also worried as there was a lot of publicity about H1N1 and it was spreading in Mexico and the US at that time.

'Then, there were fears it could hit Singapore too. I was concerned as I had contact with airport passengers.'

She called her parents, who said they would visit her later that night.

But when she arrived at CDC2 at 8pm, she was told by the nurses that she had to be isolated and that no visitors were allowed.

Handphone contact

All she had was her handphone to keep in contact with the outside world.

She kept herself occupied by watching shows on Channel 5 and Suria on the TV set in her ward.

'I also SMSed my friends to tell them what happened,' she recalled.

'They sent me messages of support - some even asked if I could become Singapore's first H1N1 case.'

She also took photos of her ward, of herself in bed and of her blood being drawn for tests.

She said her blood was drawn thrice - something that made her cry as she was afraid of needles.

'I was prepared for a positive result since I had contact with passengers,' she added.

For her meals, she was served porridge for breakfast and rice with fish and vegetables for lunch.

The good news came at 10am the next day. She was told she only had the common flu.

Two hours later, she was discharged and given seven days of medical leave.

Though she did not have H1N1, Ms Nurul said she did not mind being hospitalised.

'I was totally taken care of by a team of professional doctors and nurses who monitored my temperature, blood pressure and also checked for other symptoms that I may develop,' she said. 'At home, I won't have that.'

Would her close shave with H1N1 make her think about changing jobs?

Definitely not, she said.

'I'm prepared for such risks. Like most of the airport staff, I've had a flu jab,' she said.

MOH to cease listing affected countries

WHEN the number of H1N1 cases moves past 1,000 this weekend, the marker will be more than a symbolic one.

As one health expert has noted, even seasonal flu has a mortality rate of one in a thousand, and others believe H1N1 - even though the current strain remains mild - is twice as deadly.

Still, while the statistical likelihood of a local death increases, the virus has established itself as here to stay and widely circulating in all communities globally - requiring countries to change tack.

For one, many no longer track the number of infected cases, noted Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) in its Friday update. "The listing of countries with reported confirmed cases is therefore becoming misleading."

So, though it will continue for now to list such countries online at www.moh.gov.sg, MOH will soon stop doing so.

It also noted that the "risk of picking up the virus at home or in any other country has evened".

In light of this, schools in Singapore will, effective Monday, "no longer require students or staff with travel history to take a Leave of Absence, as this measure is no longer effective", according to the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile, precautionary measures that schools implemented in the first week of Term 3 were carried out smoothly.

They will continue to keep up the measures, such as temperature taking, to limit the spread of the disease. Staff and students who are unwell will be asked to seek medical attention and rest at home.

One cinema operator too is taking steps. Golden Village Multiplex is sanitising all its nine multiplexes housing 73 screens, with an anti-microbial treatment. Each treatment - which was developed by an American bio-security company - lasts two weeks.

While observing that it has "not seen a significant drop in the number of movie-goers", the operator said notices at all its foyers urge patrons not to purchase tickets should they feel unwell.

Overall, MOH said, the approach to managing H1N1 "should be largely based on personal responsibility", with Singaporeans practising good personal hygiene and seeking prompt medical attention if unwell.

H1N1 in S'pore moves up

The numbers continue inching up with 52 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) confirmed here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported yesterday. This brings the total to 1,055 confirmed cases.

But even though the number of cases crossed the 1,000 mark over the weekend, MOH reiterated "the current strain remains mild, except for high-risk individuals". Most patients respond well to treatment, but those with underlying medical conditions could face complications.

The ministry signalled on Friday it would soon stop listing countries with reported H1N1 cases since many no longer track the number of infected cases.

And starting today, students and school staff with travel history to affected countries no longer need to take a Leave of Absence, said the Ministry of Education (MOE). But some schools will continue with containment measures. For instance, Republic Polytechnic (RP) will still check students to make sure they have their thermometers when they enter the campus.

RP, which was hit with the largest H1N1 cluster, will also continue segregating students for break times and lunch hours, with the first-, second- and third-year students put into time zones. Security officers will help ensure the students are all back in their classes before those from the next level are allowed to take their breaks.

At Dunman High school, quarantine measures for its boarders will be removed from today, said its principal Sng Chern Wei. However, it will continue to stagger meal breaks for its 500 boarders. ALICIA WONG

I could have infected family

Hospital mistakenly tells patient he's free of H1N1 & discharges him

HE FELT relieved. He thought he had beaten the Influenza A(H1N1) bug when he was told to go home.

TNP PICTURES: JONATHAN CHOO TNP PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: SIMON ANG

But the hospital called him the next day and told him there had been a mistake: He was H1N1-positive.

The reason the hospital had discharged him was because it had mixed him up with someone else who had tested negative for H1N1.

He then had a choice - report back again or stay at home and isolate himself. He chose to return to hospital, and an ambulance was sent to pick him up from his home.

On Sunday, the 22-year-old national serviceman had come down with flu-like symptoms after returning home from NS duty.

On Monday, he went to a polyclinic. A 993 ambulance was called and he was taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH).

On Tuesday, when he was told he was H1N1-negative and discharged from CGH, he was very happy.

He went home thinking it was just the seasonal flu.

Then on Wednesday morning, CGH staff called him to tell him of the mix-up.

'I was shocked, frustrated and a little angry,' said the NSF in a phone interview with The New Paper. He asked not to be identified.

He chose to return to hospital as he was concerned that he would spread the virus to others, especially his family members.

'I don't mind if I kena (get it), but I don't want to be held responsible for spreading it to the public or my family. I would feel guilty and self-conscious,' he said.

On Tuesday, he had gone home by public bus.

He had also spent a night at home with his family members.

'I could have infected the people on the bus and at home,' he said.

On Wednesday afternoon, a 993 ambulance picked him up from home and took him back to CGH.

He is now in an isolation ward and has been given Tamiflu. He has recovered from the worst of his symptoms.

On Monday he had a fever of 39.7 deg C. He also had a cough and a runny nose. Now, only the cough remains.

'The hospital told me that I would be able to go home after seven days in isolation,' he said.

The hospital has admitted it was a mistake on their part.

'One of our staff had mistaken him for another patient who had a negative test result, as they had similar sounding names,' said a hospital spokesman.

The hospital said the national serviceman was discharged on Tuesday with medical leave for a day, to rest at home.

The other patient whose name sounded similar to his, also went home.

'We notified him immediately when the mistake was discovered. He was brought back in a 993 ambulance and admitted to the hospital on Wednesday. He is currently in our isolation ward and is doing well,' said the spokesman. (See report, right.)

Family affected

The patient's two sisters and mother decided, on the day that they were told of the H1N1 news, to quarantine themselves.

One of the patient's sisters is a primary school teacher.

She had just finished her training at the National Institute of Education and was starting to teach in the lower primary classes when the school term started.

'On Wednesday, I reached school some time after 11am and I was in the staff room when I received a call from my younger sister to say that my brother had been tested positive for H1N1,' she said.

She was dismayed and immediately informed her vice-principal.

It was then decided that she should go home and quarantine herself.

'By that time, I had exposed myself to fewer than 10 people. Luckily, I am teaching the afternoon session, so I had not gone to any classes or met any students yet,' said the mother-tongue teacher who is in her 20s.

She took a taxi home.

Her younger sister who is 17 and studying at ITE also decided to quarantine herself.

Her mother, who operates a stall at a school canteen, decided to quarantine herself and close her stall for seven days.

'My mother will lose money during the days when the stall is closed,' said the teacher.

'But it's better than being the cause of more infections.'

Her father and another brother had very limited or no contact with the NSF.

'So my father has continued going to work as usual at the warehouse and my elder brother has gone off (for his reservist training),' she said.

They said they did not receive any call from the authorities to tell them what to do after CGH called to tell their brother of the mistake.

'I had to call the hospital on Wednesday afternoon to find out what we should do,' said the teacher.

She said a nurse told her that they should quarantine themselves for at least 48 hours and observe themselves for any flu symptoms.

The CGH spokesman confirmed this.

'It was the family who called the hospital and were given some advice by our staff,' said the spokesman.

Around 10pm on Wednesday, someone from the Ministry of Health called the family.

'The MOH person told us to call 993 if we develop any flu symptoms,' she said.

So far, the only symptom she has observed for herself is a runny nose.

'We are also staying together in one room and keeping away from my father. Hopefully, none of us will get it,' she said.

---

SUNDAY: NSF comes down with flu symptoms.

MONDAY: He goes to polyclinic. Doctor calls 993 to send him to Changi General Hospital. He is swabbed and warded.

TUESDAY: CGH tells him he has tested negative for H1N1 and discharges him.

WEDNESDAY: CGH calls to tell him it has made a mistake and that he is H1N1 positive. 993 ambulance takes him back to CGH. He is now in an isolation ward there.

H1N1 test result wait dashes his dream

FOR the past two months, all Zachary Ryan Devaraj could think of was the Asian Youth Games (AYG).

RUNNER: Zachary was part of the ACS (Independent) 4x800m relay team that won the SPH Schools Relay Championships Boys' B Division. ST FILE PICTURE

The 14-year-old was confident of doing well in his pet event, the 800m.

But his dreams were dashed when he missed the heats at Bishan Stadium yesterday afternoon after he had to wait for his Influenza A(H1N1) test result.

He had to stay in isolation at the Games Village until the results were known and though he tested negative, the results came too late.

However, a spokesman for the Games said that the doctors advised him to rest as he had flu-like symptoms (see report right).

It all started when Zachary, who finished sixth in the 1500m final on Tuesday, was quarantined at the Swissotel the Stamford (the Games village) the same night. He said he felt 'under the weather' and had a runny nose but had no fever.

He said: 'I wanted to check that I was not infringing doping regulations if I take a Panadol.'

This triggered alarm bells. His swab was taken at 10pm on Tuesday, but he said a second swab was taken yesterday morning.

He was cleared only at 4.40pm yesterday but by the time he rushed to Bishan stadium, he was too late. The heats, which started at 4.45pm went on without him.

What Zachary is most upset about is that he would have probably qualified for tomorrow's semi-finals.

He had set a personal best time of 2min 1.04sec in the 800m at the Western Australia Little Athletics (Wala) track-and-field meet in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

The six competitors who qualified for the 800 metres semi-finals clocked between 1min 59.30 sec and 2min 4.01 sec.

Said Zachary: 'I'm really angry. This is my pet race and I wasn't allowed to compete. This is all I've been training for. This was my dream.'

Since May, he has been working hard for the event. He said: 'When I found out I would be competing in the AYG, every thing stopped and I focused on this race.'

He intensified training.

Said Zachary, a Secondary 3 student at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent): 'I have been training six days a week and I've put everything I have into this particular race.'

He said he trained between three to five hours a day. He even had to watch his diet and take additional supplements.

Unfair

Running is everything to the boy and his parents put that first always - even at the expense of their own business.

His father, Mr Simon Devaraj, 45, and mother, Mrs Devaraj, 40, run an employment agency. Said Mr Devaraj: 'We are always there to drop him off at school and pick him up after that to send him for training.'

He added: 'Why are they so unfair to my son? Where is their Olympic spirit? Like our minister says, life has to go on with H1N1. They just crushed his dreams.'

Mrs Devaraj added: 'My husband and I left work behind last weekend to fly to KL with him for the meet.

'He had sinus issues in KL as well and took a Panadol. He's had such issues for years. They didn't quarantine him there.'

She added: 'We ensured he flew back on Sunday so that he had enough time to rest for the AYG. We take his health very seriously.

'He's given up on other pleasures. He has invested a lot of time into this. Day in day out, we see him train to achieve his dream.'

One-week closure cost Butter Factory $250,000

IT CLOSED for a week, one of the first businesses to be hit by the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.

QUEUE: Outside The Butter Factory last night. TNP PICTURE: CHOO CHWEE HUA

And when The Butter Factory re-opened last night, the crowds were back.

The lines started forming at 9.40pm and quickly grew to about 200 people just before 10pm, the club's opening time.

They were waiting to get their temperatures checked and their hands stamped before heading to the club's rooms.

Said Hui Jun, 20, a business student at the Singapore Institute of Management: 'We had dinner at Suntec to celebrate a friend's birthday so we thought we'd walk here to continue the celebrations.'

It was also ladies' night last night.

But in the one week that it was closed, the popular nightspot estimated that it lost $250,000.

The alarm bells first went off when the Ministry of Health (MOH) contacted executive chairman of the club Tay Eu Yen two Sundays ago to inform her about the third H1N1 cluster, made up of the club's patrons.

One day later, a member of her staff also tested positive. The club then decided to close for a week.

I'The club was disinfected from 6am to 6pm last Tuesday and the MOH said we did not have to close. But we wanted to be socially responsible - hence the decision,' she said.

According to MOH's website, there are currently 43 confirmed cases in the cluster. To her knowledge, six of the club's 80 staff have tested positive as of yesterday .

Ms Tay said that the club has stepped up the number of temperature checks for staff from once every day ( before the club opens) to two or three times a night, (mainly during breaks).

They have also implemented temperature checks for all customers upon entering the club, with the help of a hand held non-contact thermometer.

Staff are also being given one 1,000mg vitamin tablet each before they start work. There are hand sanitisers within easy reach for both staff and club patrons.

Butter Factory reopens its doors Clubs confident H1N1 won't hit business hard

POPULAR dance club The Butter Factory the only club to shut its premises in the wake of an Influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak reopened its doors yesterday after one week.

The closure came after an employee contracted the virus. The club's premises then underwent a 12-hour-long disinfection process.

But, despite the fact that 43 cases have been linked to Butter to date, its management is confident that business will not be seriously affected.

Executive chairman Tay Eu-Yen told my paper yesterday: "Most people felt we made the right move (by closing) and have said that they will come back.

"Singaporeans are well-informed about the situation, so I don't think they are being reckless (by continuing to club)."

The three-year-old establishment, which moved to its new One Fullerton premises in March, has taken a cue from other outlets in implementing new measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Apart from increasing the frequency of temperature checks on its employees which number up to 80 from once to twice every six-hour shift, it will also conduct temperature screenings at the door for all clubbers.

Ms Tay said: "We are also looking into dividing our operations team into two, so that they will have minimum contact should one team fall ill."

Club operator LifeBrandz, which has 10 nightspots under its management, including Clarke Quay's Zirca and Lunar, is also confident that it would not see a dip in crowd numbers.

The company's chief executive, Mr Bernard Lim, said: "Clubbers are still going out on week nights and weekends to unwind and have a good time.

"They are appreciative of the precautionary measures taken at our doors and, to many of them, life still goes on, albeit with some precautions taken."

Attendance has been "healthy" at all 10 LifeBrandz establishments, with "business operations in full swing", he said.

Only "a handful" of patrons with fever have been turned away since LifeBrandz clubs implemented temperature checks last Friday.

Over at Zouk in Jiak Kim Street, business has been steady. Fewer than 10 people have been refused entry for showing signs of illness, since the same measures were introduced last Tuesday.

Ms Mari Muramoto, Zouk's marketing manager, said: "We have not seen a significant drop (in customers) so far.

"With measures in place, we are operating all the planned events and activities as usual, and we hope those measures will help to maintain a consistent (level of customer) attendance."

Besides temperature checks on everyone entering the premises from customers to suppliers and contractors posters on basic preventive measures provided by the National Environment Agency are also displayed prominently on the premises.

LifeBrandz's Mr Lim is optimistic.

"The situation is not like Sars when many businesses were affected at the outset. I believe it will not be as severe as Sars even if the situation worsens," he said.

因出现传播群而休业一周 Butter Factory重开后客似云来

被列为传播群的夜店Butter Factory, 为策安全暂停营业一周后，昨晚重开大门，照旧迎来大批夜猫子光顾。

尽管如此，夜店的防疫工作并不放松，工作人员在入口处为每个顾客测量体温，确保没有感冒发烧症状，才能入场。夜店也采取为员工量体温、为场所消毒等预防性措施，确保顾客能玩得安全，玩得尽兴。

Butter Factory执行总裁郑尤妍（30岁）受询时说：“凡是体温超过37.5度的顾客，我们将谢绝他们进入，这是为了顾全其他顾客的健康。”

不过，工作人员还是会先让无法“通关”的顾客在一旁休息，再测量体温。

对于第一次无法“通关”的顾客，他们似乎都很惊讶自己“发烧”，不时用手测探自己的体温。“过关”的朋友则在一旁建议他们放松或喝水降低体温，显然都不想被拒于门外，失望而归。

映彤（19岁，学生）是其中一名差点被拒于门外的顾客。

她第二次量体温，终于过关，在另一端等待的朋友也为她松了口气。

她告诉记者，虽然这拖慢了入场的时间，但夜店为了顾及大家的健康，这些措施是无可厚非的。

她是和相熟的朋友一起来玩，不会有太多顾虑，但会注意个人卫生。

曾光顾Butter Factory的纪勇（19岁，学生）并不觉得量体温会增添麻烦，顾客反而会对夜店的安全更具信心。

昨晚捧场的也不乏第一次到Butter Factory的年轻人。

陈文瑞（23，待业者）是为了支持朋友前来的，原来当晚夜店举办一个音乐性质的比赛，朋友是参赛者之一。

虽然知道Butter Factory是传播群之一，但她认为，病毒在任何地方都可以传播，不一定只在夜店，所以娱乐和生活还是应该如常，不会因此避而远之。

夜店每周三至周六营业，平均每晚有超过1000人进出。

据记者昨晚在现场观察，夜店在10时开店营业前，外面就出现人龙，顾客陆续前来，相信甲流对生意的冲击不大。

位于浮尔顿1号的Butter Factory目前是本地第三大传播群，病例有43起，其中6名病患是夜店职员，他们目前已康复，很快将能回返工作岗位。

Long queues to enter schools

THE first day back to school, after the June holidays, was marred by snaking queues outside schools.

THOROUGH: Teachers outside Mee Toh school checking student's declaration forms.

That was because the schools took a no-nonsense stance against the Influenza A (H1N1), launching a battery of health and safety measures for staff and students.

At Mee Toh Primary and Jurong West Primary, parents and students behaved in an orderly manner, even if it meant more than an hour of waiting to get inside the school gates.

At Mee Toh, in Punggol, two teachers patiently and diligently checked each student's declaration form to make sure they were not in an affected country in the last one week.

If they had come back from a flu-affected country after 22 Jun, they would be whisked to an isolation room to wait for their parent to come and take them back home. Only two children were asked to leave the school yesterday as they had just come back from Indonesia in the past few days.

Students who entered the school were to immediately go to their form class and take their own temperatures.

They would record their own temperature in a handbook and then, their teacher would record it as well.

Staff at the school started calling up parents and informing them of their strict measures on Thursday .

Principal Fong Bee Cheng said: 'All form teachers called up the parents of their form students to remind them to bring their travel declaration form and their thermometers on the first day of school.

'We encouraged teachers to get in touch with each parent on the phone so they could personally explain the procedures to them.'

The precautions were not just for students.

Ms Fong, 59, said the school's operations manager got in touch with the tuckshop vendors and other related staff also, to inform them to bring their travel declaration forms yesterday.

She added: 'The tuckshop vendors also had to come back to school last week to disinfect the canteen and other areas.'

Bus operators who ferry kids to and from home were also kept in loop.

Said Ms Fong: 'We told all of them to disinfect their buses and they also had to observe the students they picked up yesterday.

'If they looked unwell, the bus operator would ask them to go home immediately.'

More recess periods

Ms Fong said most of the steps were put in place on Thursday. On Sunday, after hearing of two schools closing, they decided to add more recess periods for students.

Said Ms Fong: 'We usually have two recess periods for four levels.

'But after we heard of the two confirmed cases on Sunday, we decided to increase that to four recess periods - one per level.'

She added: 'We just want each kid to have more space to minimise risks of potential infections.'

Parent Theresa Ling, 39, an administrative assistant who has a 9-year-old daughter at the school, said: 'It is natural for us to worry. But I can see they are doing a very good job.'

Speaking to reporters at a technology-related conference yesterday, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said that parents should be warned that more classes or schools may close should their school be hit by the virus. However, he urged parents to remain calm.

He said: 'I wouldn't paint a doomsday scenario and say 'what if'. For schools, what it does mean is that when we want to prevent big clusters from forming, we have to close down certain classes, certain schools.

'And we take it a day at a time, a week at a time and we adjust to the situation.'

THEY GOT NEWS OUT TO ALL EXCEPT...

School closed due to H1N1 flu, but one student still turned up

HE WAS 'on' when the rest of the school was 'off'.

PUZZLED: (From top) A student turned away by a guard at Westwood Secondary School. TNP PICTURES: BENSON ANG, SHEA A JOHN DRISCOLL, MOHD ISHAK

Unfortunately, he picked the wrong day to be 'on', because his schoolmates were all online yesterday.

He was the only one to turn up at Westwood Secondary School yesterday morning, having somehow missed being told that the school was to be closed for a week after a teacher got infected with the Influenza A(H1N1) virus over the weekend.

Westwood is one of two schools which postponed the re-opening of the new semester till next Tuesday as a precaution against further H1N1 infections.

The students were immediately informed through an extensive network of phonecalls of the closure.

But at 7.12am yesterday morning, a brown Nissan pulled up outside Westwood's school gates at Jurong West Street 25.

Out stepped a boy with a school bag slung over his left shoulder.

He appeared puzzled and took a few steps towards the school gate.

But the security guard at the gate, Mr Fremont Chan, was quick to point out to the boy: 'Hey, today no school. No school.'

Mr Chan made a No 7 sign with his fingers, signalling that the school classes would resume only on 7 Jul, which is next Tuesday.

The boy looked puzzled for a second, then turned to walk back to the car. In the drivers' seat was a middle-aged woman.

He opened the front door of the car, and again looked around him with a confused expression, before re-entering. From within, the woman said: 'Closed today, ah?'

When The New Paper asked the woman if they knew that school was closed, she replied: 'No, we don't know.'

When we continued to ask if she was informed about the closure in any way, she repeatedly said: 'No.'

Then she drove off.

The principal of Westwood Secondary, Ms Betty Chang, told The New Paper in an e-mail that form teachers telephoned students to tell them of the week-long closure.

The Westwood teacher who was infected was a facilitator at a staff seminar attended by 74 school staff.

The teacher had also been in contact with 58 students.

As of yesterday, there have been no more confirmed cases among staff and students.

Westwood Secondary students will be provided with home-based learning lessons with materials, assignments, and worksheets, all posted online.

There is also a timetable on the school's website, which lays out the students' lessons for a week. Students are supposed to attend lessons online from 8am to about 1.30pm, with a break from 10.30am to 11am each day.

Where have all the fans gone?

S'pore youth soccer team loses in near-empty stadium. Fans give variety of reasons

IT JUST did not happen for Singapore - not on the field, nor in the stands.

NO SUPPORT: A S'porean player tussles with a Thai athlete for the ball at the Singapore-Thailand game.

Our young footballers lost to Thailand 1-4 and were eliminated from the Asian Youth Games (AYG) soccer competition yesterday.

But the players can exit the tournament with their heads held high.

They were beaten narrowly by one of the competition's favourites, Iran, 1-2 last Saturday, before going down to Thailand yesterday.

So no shame. They lost to better teams.

But where were the fans?

Yesterday, at three in the afternoon, when the stakes were high, the fans let the players down.

They did not show up.

At Jalan Besar stadium which can hold up to 6,000 people, there were fewer than 500 yesterday, going by The New Paper's count.

THERE'S STILL TIME TO JOIN THE FUN: Dancers dazzle at the AYG opening ceremony last night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Games will continue till 7 Jul. TNP PICTURES: GAVIN FOO, JONATHAN CHOO

Despite the low ticket prices, at just $2 per person, the fans failed to show up.

This was a stark contrast to the Republic's opener against Iran which reportedly drew 2,500 spectators - almost five times more than yesterday.

Could it have been the timing of the match - played at 3pm on a working day? The Iran match had a Saturday 5pm kick-off.

If that's a reason, then it may be worrying for the rest of The Asian Youth Games - which was officially opened yesterday and will continue until 7 Jul - since the majority of the events start between 9am and 7pm.

Or could it have been the H1N1(A) Influenza - with schools and parents telling their kids to stay away from crowded places?

Perhaps it was due to the match being broadcast 'live' on television. However, the Singapore-Iran match was televised as well.

Time or, more accurately, the lack of it, seems to have been one of the main reasons for the poor turnout.

Mr Danny Nah, a 21-year-old full time national service man, said: 'I finish work only at six in the evening. Since the match was played at three in the afternoon there is no way I could have caught it.

'If they were to play at a later time, say perhaps at seven, I would have rushed down straight after work just to support our boys.'

But what about the school students? Why were they not at Jalan Besar to support their peers?

Exams coming up

Some, Daryl Aw Yeong, a 17-year-old student, said that they were too busy studying for upcoming examinations to even consider watching the match.

He said: 'I have my mid-year examinations coming up soon. They start next week. I will probably be giving the entire Asian Youth Games a miss.'

Most junior colleges and schools with integrated programmes hold their mid-year examinations immediately after the June holidays.

Others had remedial lessons.

A secondary school student who wanted to be known only as Shaan said: 'I couldn't go to the match as I had to attend remedial classes after school.'

Then there is the H1N1 fear.

Dylan Nah, 16, summed it up when he said: 'I didn't go because my school advises us to avoid going to crowded places. So avoiding a soccer match makes perfect sense.

'I would have liked to have been there to support Singapore especially since the athletes are my age. But with my 'N' levels drawing closer, I can't afford to risk getting ill.'

Secondary school and JC students were not the only ones who didn't manage to find time to watch yesterday's match.

Polytechnic student Mr Brandon Era said: 'School just re-opened. The match was on a school day.

'With my schedule, I wouldn't have been able to catch the match especially since it started at three in the afternoon.

'I'm a soccer enthusiast, but seeing how my school wouldn't take it lightly if I skipped classes I decided it would be better to just give it a miss.'

Even then there were some students who found their way into the stadium, regardless of curriculum time, remedial classes or the H1N1 scare.

These were the diehard fans of some of the players.

Said a group of five boys from a school in the east: 'We came to support our friend who is playing in the tournament, and, of course, the Singapore team.

'We came on our own accord. There have yet to be any announcement on this tournament, or the AYG, in our school.'

Not told about match

Similarly, another group of four students from a school in the west, also came in support of their teammate from their school.

Their school had banners saying that it has three athletes taking part in the AYG.

Said Nicholas de Silva, 15: 'We were not even told that one of our friends is playing today. It was only when we read The New Paper that we found out that he had a match today.

'It would help if the school is to make the announcements.'

Adults who turned up yesterday believe that the match would have attracted more fans if it had been scheduled at a more convenient time.

Mr Rohmat Hussein, 53, who works in the hotel industry, said: 'I am lucky, I had a day off. Others, who are working, really have no choice.

'Most adults would have still been working and students from the upper secondary would probably still be in class. It would have helped if the match was played in the evening.'

Another fan, engineer Gabris Chua, 39, added: 'The games should be held in the evening so that after work people can still make it down in time for the match.'

One of the players from the team said that when he walked out on the pitch and saw the dismal crowd, he asked himself why there were so few people.

His spirits were dampened when he realised the crowd was made out of mainly just friends and family.

He said: 'I heard some of the players discussing the possible reason for the low crowd turnout.

'They feel that because we lost the match against Iran nobody wants to support us.

'When we were playing against Iran the crowd's cheers spurred us on but today with the lack of support we thought we were doing badly.'

Sounding disheartened, he said: 'Who wants to support a losing team?'

Naveen Kanagalingam and Shannon Rezel, newsroom interns

For TNP's AYG updates, pictures and videos, visit twitter.com/thenewpaper or tnppostman.com

Indonesia confirms six new swine flu cases: minister

Three Australian children were among six newly confirmed swine flu cases in Indonesia Sunday, bringing the country's total infections to eight.

Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said two boys aged 10 and 12 and a girl aged 14 had been on the same flight from Australia to the resort island of Bali as a 22-year-old Briton who had earlier tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus.

Three other new Indonesian cases included two relatives who had visited Singapore and a 22-year-old woman who visited Australia.

"All the six are doing fine," said Supari, adding that the Australians are now being isolated at Bali's Sanglah hospital and the Indonesians at a Jakarta hospital.

No cases had been confirmed in Indonesia until last Wednesday when the Briton and an Indonesian pilot tested positive. Both have since been discharged from hospital, Supari said.

Indonesia last week expressed concern that Australian tourists flocking to Bali's beaches are bringing swine flu into the country, which had so far avoided the worst of the pandemic.

Australia is the worst-hit country in the Asia-Pacific region with over 3,500 swine flu cases and five related deaths.

Supari said that so far there had been no cases of human-to-human transmission in Indonesia and that the country would remain vigilant.

Indonesian authorities earlier in the year increased the use of body temperature scanners at airports and imposed a ban on the import of live pigs and pork products in a bid to combat the disease, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

The A(H1N1) influenza, which emerged in Mexico in April, has killed over 260 people worldwide and infected nearly 60,000 people in over 100 countries.

Indonesia to ask tourists to wear masks: minister

Indonesia is planning to ask all people arriving from swine flu-affected countries to wear face masks for at least three days, the health minister said Monday.

The presence of the A(H1N1) virus was confirmed in Indonesia only last week and so far four of the eight known cases have been foreigners.

"Visitors from infected countries should wear masks. It's a precautionary measure we're taking to avoid human-to-human transmission of the virus," Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari told AFP.

"We'll give them the masks when they arrive at the airports and tell them to wear them for three days."

But the minister said the government had no intention of enforcing the precaution, which could do serious damage to the country's stuttering tourism industry.

"There'll be no penalty if people don't wear them. You can't expect people to wear masks when they're swimming," Supari said, adding the masks would be handed out to visitors as soon as possible depending on funding.

She made the announcement after a ministerial meeting to discuss the swine flu outbreak in Indonesia.

Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie chaired the meeting and said funds would be allocated to pay for the masks, Antara news agency reported. Transportation Minister Jusman Sjafii Djamal also attended.

Supari said last week she was particularly worried about Australian tourists who flock to the famous surf beaches of Bali island. More than 300,000 Australian holiday-makers visited the island last year.

Australia is the Asia-Pacific country worst-hit by swine flu with almost 4,000 cases.

Indonesia has been the country hit hardest by avian influenza with 115 deaths since 2005.s

Thailand reports third swine flu death

Thai health authorities confirmed a third death from swine flu after a naval recruit succumbed to the disease on Monday.

The death of the 21-year-old Royal Thai Navy conscript came as the number of confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus hit 1,330, a health ministry statement said.

Thailand's first death from swine flu was a 40-year-old woman in Bangkok who died Friday. A 42-year-old man from Chonburi province, 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital, died two days later.

Thailand reported its first case of swine flu on May 12.

The virus has infected nearly 60,000 worldwide and killed more than 260, according to the World Health Organisation.

Swine flu dents travel arrivals in Singapore

Singapore said Friday that visitor arrivals fell 13 percent year on year in May, as the global swine flu outbreak compounded the impact of the economic downturn on travel demand.

The city-state welcomed 730,000 travellers in May, down from 834,000 in the same month last year, the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement.

"Singapore's tourism sector saw sharper declines in visitor arrivals in May 2009 from markets such as China and Japan which can be attributed in part to the global outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1-2009)," it said.

Arrivals from China fell 40 percent to 52,000 and 30 percent to 30,000 from Japan.

Hotel room revenue fell 37.7 percent to 112 million Singapore dollars (77.24 million US) and average occupancy rates dipped 12.2 percentage points to 69 percent.

Singapore drew 10.1 million visitors in 2008, falling short of its target of 10.8 million as travel slowed noticeably in the second-half in the face of the global downturn.

Tourism is a major revenue earner for Singapore, which is facing its worst economic crisis in more than 40 years this year because of the worldwide downturn.

昨出现95起新病例 甲流病例未来几天可能激增

卫生部传染病署署长詹姆斯医生说，社区只要出现几个病例，开始传染给他人，病例数目会迅速增加。出现这个趋势之后，我们预料甲流病例会倍数上升。

本地昨天新增95起新的甲型H1N1流感病例，使病例总数上升至315起。95起新病例当中，有25起在本地受感染，22起在国外受感染，其余48起仍等待调查结果。

甲流在本地社区传播的情况越来严重，前天出现了九个确诊病例的共和理工学院成为最新的传播群，再加上之前公布的三起病例，共和理工学院共有12人感染甲流。

卫生部对近期没出国、出现流感症状的病人进行抽样化验，并在本月17日首次发现有人在社区感染甲流，接下来的几天，甲流的普及率日益增加。

本土传播病例预料在未来几天激增，社区医疗设施开始准备应付更多流感患者。

卫生部医务总监萨库教授昨天召开记者会，公布本月初成立的甲型H1N1流感全国科学委员会取得的初步研究成果。

卫生部传染病署署长詹姆斯（Lyn James）医生在记者会上公布本地甲流最新发展情况。卫生部的流感监测系统在本月17日从医院和诊所搜集的88个样本当中，检测出了一个近期没有出国的甲流病例，在出现流感症状者的普及率为1.1％。

随后几天的抽样检验显示，甲流的普及率开始上升。6月20日至22日之间，H1N1的普及率介于3.8％至5.3％，比第一天高出好多倍，显示病毒开始在社区蔓延。

詹姆斯医生说：“社区只要出现几个病例，开始传染给他人，病例数目会迅速增加。出现这个趋势之后，我们预料甲流病例会倍数上升。”

萨库教授表示，当甲流占流感病例的15％，本地将从抑制病毒传播，转向缓和疾病的冲击，并通知一般公众到能应付流感病患的诊所和综合诊疗所接受治疗。

萨库解释说，一般诊所无法进行化验，确定病人患上哪类流感，所有的流感患者都被配给抗流感药达菲。截至6月22日，5％的流感患者感染了H1N1，也就是说，20名流感患者当中，只有一人服用达菲后能受用。

新加坡基因组研究院也在昨天公布初步的基因分析结果。新加坡基因组研究院高级组长（传染疾病）希柏德博士（Martin Hibberd）指出，新加坡出现的H1N1病毒极度类似于北美和澳洲出现的病毒，而且并没有证据显示，病毒对达菲产生抗药情况。这意味着患者服用达菲可 将病情控制下来。

截至前天晚上11时，卫生部已经发布1499个居家隔离令。92％被隔离者都预防性地服用抗流感药物。只有两名受隔离者在服药后，仍然感染甲流。

Soldiers Battle H1N1

WITH immediate effect, all Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel will have to take their temperature twice a day.

If they are feeling unwell, they must report to their superiors.

Units which undertake critical operations like maritime security and protection of key installations, such as Jurong Island, will be separated physically from other units.

The measures are on top of existing ones to fight the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, like avoiding crowded areas and practising good personal hygiene.

These new enhanced measures came as nine SAF personnel, including seven from Maju Camp off Clementi Road, came down with the virus. Their infection was confirmed within three days of one another.

The aim of the new measures is to ensure that the SAF maintains its high level of operational readiness, said Chief of Army Neo Kian Hong at a media conference last night.

"The training of our servicemen will continue and they will be protected against the H1N1 virus," he said.

All SAF medical centres are given rapid testing kits, which can detect the virus within 30 minutes, as well as Tamiflu supplies for the treatment of H1N1.

The medical centres are also H1N1 ready, said Maj-Gen Neo.

SAF has 300,000 servicemen, including full-time national servicemen and regulars.

The number of H1N1 cases here breached 200 yesterday with 26 new cases, bringing the total to 220. The 11 new local cases include two Butter Factory patrons, and two who attended a church camp at the Fishermen of Christ Church.

The 15 imported cases comprise those with a travel history to the Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, the United States, Britain and New Zealand.