Swine flu reach in China

AUTHORITIES in southern China closed an elementary school after 30 students there fell ill from swine flu, Chinese state media reported, as infections from the virus continued to climb across the Asia-Pacific region.
The children, all from a primary school in Guangdong province's Dongguan city, fell ill with A(H1N1) flu at the end of last week, the provincial health department said in a statement posted on its website late on Sunday.

Authorities closed Shipai Central Primary School for a week, and have quarantined those in close contact with the patients. The health department said the students' symptoms were mild, but warned the risk of a partial epidemic was looming in the province. Guangdong neighbours Hong Kong, where many schools have been closed following H1N1 flu outbreaks.
The students were all reported in stable condition since their illness was mild. Authorities decided to close the school, which has 1,314 students, for a week after the cases were reported.
China's state broadcaster reported on Sunday that 58 more people were confirmed with swine flu, bringing the total on the mainland to 414.
The World Health Organisation has declared swine flu a pandemic.

Teenage patient died by swine flu

A 15-year-old boy in Buffalo, N.Y., who was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, has died of related complications, his grandmother says.
WIVB-TV in Buffalo reported the grandmother of Matthew Davis confirmed the teenage swine flu patient was taken off life support Saturday after he took a significant turn for the worse.
Lucretia Belton, mother of the eighth-grader, said her son's kidneys had failed, forcing him to be kept alive by machines.
Belton added her son had suffered from complications from the H1N1 virus, including a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection and pneumonia.
Prior to her son's removal from life support at Women and Children's Hospital, Belton offered a heartfelt warning to parents about swine flu.
"This is no joke, this is really, really, really serious. Please get your kids, any kind of sign, get them there, don't wait until we get this far like my baby," Shelton said Friday.
WIVB reported a 9-year-old girl at the Buffalo hospital had also been diagnosed with swine flu. The girl, whose identity was not reported, was reportedly in critical condition.