Gloomy Days

The sentiment for this past few weeks is not good.

There is this influenza outbreak that had claimed three children's life (2, 3 and 7 year-old) since mid-Feb until now. As the investigation report reveal, the cause of death show positive to normal flu strain, but not bird flu. Therefore, the public is bizarre to hear the seemingly normal flu virus can be so deadly harmful to young children. What's up?

It's really scary to hear the ordeal of the 3 year-old girl, who died in just 24 hours after her flu-like symptoms got serious. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/080304/318/2py8h.html

When the 3rd victim died last week, it stir the public's fear of epidemic.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/080310/318/2qbe7.html

The day after the boy's death, near midnight time, the Health & Food Department made an urgent announcement : all the kindergarten and primary schools will be suspended for 2 weeks (13th - 27 Mar). Many parents and teachers who slept early that night didn't get to know the news in time. So, you can imagine how chaotic the situation is on the next morning. http://hk.news.yahoo.com/080313/318/2qk4a.html

Parents are advised :-

1. to consult the family doctor first instead of taking their sick child to the hospital's emergency ward in fear of the risk of cross infection or secondary infection.

2. avoid taking the children to over crowded places.

3. do not feed the sick child with instant medicine that bought from pharmacy for fear of inducing some deadly complication. Content of Aspirin, Salicylamided and methyl salicylate related medicine can cause Reye's syndrome which is fatal to children.

Since then, there isn't any major breakthrough news. The deaths of three children with flu-like symptoms did not mean Hong Kong was facing a deadly influenza outbreak, an expert panel investigating the cases revealed yesterday. Well, that's certainly the HOPE of everyone now!