Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow says the Government has formulated its new strategy in the battle against human swine flu. It will be under constant review to ensure it is viable, feasible and in Hong Kong's best interest.

Unveiling the details, Dr Chow said since Hong Kong has only one confirmed case and there has been no community transmission, the Government will continue to take containment measures to delay its spread.

These steps include surveillance at border checkpoints, contact tracing, isolating patients and quarantine arrangements.

Mitigation phase

If local transmission becomes sustainable and significant, and isolation and quarantine are no longer appropriate or practicable, the Government will adopt mitigation measures.

These include:

* active promotion and adoption of basic personal protection measures;

* implementing social distancing including workplace contingency plans, and cancellation of mass gatherings;

* mobilising Hospital Authority-operated clinics as focus first-line clinics to look after patients with flu symptoms;

* giving anti-viral drugs to patients, healthcare workers and essential service providers in the public sector.

The Government will also consider administering vaccines when they are available, Dr Chow said, adding private enterprises may need to put their business contingency and continuity plans into effect.

He said self-care will be important at the mitigation phase and sick people should stay home for at least 24 hours after they recover.

School closure

When the first local swine flu case occurs, the Government will consider closing all primary schools, kindergartens, and nurseries for up to 14 days. The arrangements will be reviewed as appropriate.

Dr Chow urged overseas students who will return to Hong Kong for summer break to defer their journey if they feel sick. If they develop a fever on the plane, they should tell the aircrew so that port health officials can take care of them upon their arrival.

"The choice of public health measures depends on the severity of the local epidemic. If the local epidemic is severe, more aggressive measures are warranted," he said.