Australian lacrosse team quarantined in SKorea after player found with swine flu

Swine flu hits Australian lacrosse team in SKorea

SEOUL, South Korea — An Australian lacrosse team has been quarantined in South Korea after a player tested positive for swine flu, an official said Sunday.

The 19-year-old has been in a hospital since Saturday when he tested positive for the virus after arriving at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, Health Ministry official Park Il-hun said.

Park said 26 other team members, including players and coaches, were quarantined in a hotel in Suwon just south of Seoul although they don’t display symptoms of swine flu, also known as influenza A(H1N1).

Park said the Australian squad would be isolated in the hotel for one week. They flew together from Melbourne to Seoul via Hong Kong, Park said.

The under-21 Australian team was to participate in the Asia Pacific Games, which runs Tuesday to Sunday. Park said authorities are urging the Australians not to participate.

Assistant coach Greg Mollison told the Australian Associated Press news agency that that the group has been provided with Tamiflu drug, but that the team is concerned about missing the tournament because of the quarantine.

“It is a little distressing because none of the other team members have shown any sign or symptoms,” Mollison was quoted as saying Sunday. “Some of the kids have worked two jobs to raise near 4,500 (Australian) dollars to come here … they have all worked very, very, very hard in preparing for the tournament to represent their country,” he said.

“It’s depressing and distressing I suppose. Emotionally it is very hard to take.”

So far, South Korea has reported 61 swine flu cases, including five cases on Saturday. The Australian player is among the five. The others are an 11-year-old Korean-Australian visiting relatives on vacation, a 7-year-old American boy who returned from the U.S., a 47-year-old South Korean man who recently returned from Dallas and a 56-year-old Chinese man in transit.

Of the 61 cases, 49 people have been released from hospitals. No deaths have been reported here.

According to the World Health Organization 145 people have died of the virus in 74 countries, which have officially reported a total of 29,669 cases.