Saturday, May 23, 2009

A/H1N1 flu hits Spanish military base, 500 quarantined

2009-05-23 21:57:44 Print

MADRID, May 23 (Xinhua) -- More than 500 servicemen from the Hoyo de Manzanres Base near Madrid have been quarantined when 11 of them were found to be infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus, Spanish First Deputy Prime Minister Maria Fernandez de la Vega said on Friday.

Sixty-one other servicemen are under observation, according to a report by the Spanish health ministry.

The Secretary General of the Spanish Health Ministry, Jose Martinez Olmos, said the 11 servicemen had not visited Mexico recently and an investigation into the origin of the infection was underway.

Fernandez called on the people to remain calm as health authorities had adopted measures to prevent the spread of the flu.

She said following the quarantine at the base, no more cases had so far been detected.

Health authorities said 150 students aged between 11 and 12 visited the base on May 18 and May 20, but so far none had shown symptoms of the flu.

The Ministry of Defense said the students visited a location about 500 meters away from the infected area, so there should be no possibility of infection among them.

The Mayor of Honyo de Manzanares Jose Ramon Regueiras said people who had symptoms of the flu or had been in contact with suspected cases should not go to hospitals, instead they should call emergency number 112 for medical treatment.

According to the health ministry, the number of infected people in the country has risen to 126, all with mild symptoms. They are responding well to treatment, reports said.

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