HONG KONG: The city has recorded its first serious case of human swine flu. The 76-year-old patient also suffers from emphysema, a condition that afflicts the lungs.

On Sunday, the man developed a fever and shortness of breath, said Tsang Ho-fai, the controller of the Centre for Health Protection.

Later that day, the patient, who lives with his wife in Sha Tin, was admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital where he tested positive for the A (H1N1) virus.

"As the patient has a lung disease, it is more likely for him to develop complications," said Tsang.

The man's condition initially improved but had deteriorated by yesterday morning, he said.

The man is taking Tamiflu and antibiotics while under treatment in an isolation ward. He will be transferred to the hospital's intensive care unit when necessary, Tsang said.

The man's wife reportedly has no flu symptoms and will be tested to determine if she has become infected.

Tests will be conducted on virus samples taken from the patient to ascertain whether the virus has mutated in any way, Tsang said.

Hong Kong had confirmed 1,055 human swine flu cases until yesterday. Seven patients were undergoing treatment in hospital, a spokesman for the Hospital Authority said.

Tsang said he would not rule out the possibility of a human swine flu outbreak in nursing homes. He said there will be an in-depth investigation into cases if that should happen.

He said Hong Kong is now in the summer flu peak season. Human swine flu has become the most common flu strain contracted by local people, accounting for about 55 percent of the flu cases.

Tsang said the flu peak season is expected to last another few weeks and it remains to be seen which strain will become more prevalent.

He said as more people contract the disease, he does not rule out an increase in the number of serious cases and there is a potential for deaths.

Tsang said other countries have reported roughly four deaths among every 1,000 human swine flu patients.

He said the rate of patients showing resistance to Tamiflu remains low and that Tamiflu continues to serve as a key drug to treat human swine flu patients.

Only three cases among some 90,000 confirmed human swine flu cases reported to the World Health Organization have proven resistant to Tamiflu, Tsang said.

He said the government may alter the ratio of reserves of Tamiflu to Relenza from 9:1 to 8.5:1.5.

Tsang also said he expected human swine flu vaccines will be shipped to Hong Kong by the end of this year and about two million people will be able to receive the vaccine.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung told lawmakers in a written reply yesterday that the Social Welfare Department will seek approval from the Legislative Council finance committee tomorrow for one-off funding of HK$95 million to step up extra cleansing services at some 1,800 government-subsidized welfare service units.

(HK Edition 07/09/2009 page1)