Hong Kong Flu
 

Anyone have any reliable information on the latest flu outbreak and whether it will affect travelers?

Mostly affecting primary schools children, Grades 1-6. I don't see any real effect on visitors at this time.

No school for 2 weeks! Disneyland and Ocean Park may see a few more visitors.

Not again...I remember the Hong Kong flu back in the 60? 70s? It was a really bad flu. My parents sent my sister and I out-of-state to my grandparents' house so that we hopefully wouldn't be affected by it because that's how bad it was in my area. Thank goodness we escaped it, but a few friends didn't and died. Happy Travels!

Hong Kong flu is a name given to an infleunza strain where the first identified outbreak is in Hong Kong. It does not mean it is same virus that was called Hong Kong flu decades ago.

I know its not the same strain...but if it ends up a flu as bad as the strain was back then...then we'd better be VERY concerned. Happy Travels!

As of today, I could not find any travel warnings or travel alerts regarding this on http://travel.state.gov/. According to the WHO website, the current “Pandemic” risk is at 3, which means “no or very little human to human transmission”. See http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian.../en/index.html. However, the “outbreak” in Hong Kong does not appear to have been deemed to be of sufficient magnitude to be included in WHO’s disease outbreak update list at http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/

There is nothing on the US government’s “pandemic” website (did you know we have one?!) see http://www.pandemicflu.gov/index.html

I live in Hong Kong and would say the situation is extremely normal here. (And these are people who panic, we have had SARS and the bird flu.) The flu has affected several young children, primarily in the Teun Mun area in the northwest New Territories. Unfortunately several children have died and as a result of pressure from parents, the primary schools have been closed here (all schools were scheduled to be closed starting at Easter for a break anyway). I have not noticed an appreciably great number of people wearing face masks here (you do see that, it is as much for the ambient air pollution as for the flu). As of today, there is nothing on the US Embassy website in Hong Kong regarding this, see http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/.

Many people here are actually referring to this as the bird flu, as the symptoms have apparently been similar, but I don’t know that any diagnosis has been made. In any event, you might want to see the Avian Flu Fact Sheet http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/...alth_1181.html

Thank you all so much. You have been very helpful!
Joyy

Ocean Park announced all school kids will get 50% off already discount admissions till 3/20. :)