SINGAPORE: A member of the Philippines football
team, now in Singapore for the inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG),
has been confirmed to be infected with the H1N1
virus.
Organisers said the team arrived in Singapore on Thursday and a
routine temperature check on Friday found the 14-year-old athlete
running a fever.
He sought attention at the Games Village Medical Centre and was
placed in an isolation room. Lab results confirmed his H1N1
infection on Saturday morning and he was admitted to the
Communicable Disease Centre (CDC).
The CDC said the football player is in a stable condition and that
this is a likely case of an imported infection. Organisers said all
matches involving the Philippines football team will be postponed
but the AYG will proceed.
The inaugural AYG will officially open in Singapore on 29 June. But
the preliminary rounds of the football competition started on
Saturday, with the first match being the one between Philippines
and Chinese Taipei.
Following the H1N1 case involving the athlete from the Philippines
football team, that match has been postponed till further
notice.
Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan said: "The discovery today - the Philippines football
team (member) has H1N1 - in a sense, is an anticipated event.
Fortunately for us, we have.....contingency plans.
"The bottom line is that the Games will go on. But we will do it
safely. The plans are in place. And in fact, what happened today, I
think, it's proof that things are working and that plans are
robust.
"As time goes by, as the week evolves, the plan will similarly have
to evolve with time, but we will cross that bridge one step at a
time."
A total of 20 members of the Philippines football team are now
quarantined at the Aloha Resort. They comprise: 17 players, two
team officials and one doctor.
They will be quarantined for seven days starting 19 June. The test
result of the Singapore liaison officer who was sent to the CDC for
observation showed that he is not infected by H1N1.
Organisers said the health and safety of all participants will
continue to be of paramount concern.