A young Finnish woman on holiday is one of several people placed under quarantine in a Hong Kong hotel due to swine flu. She checked into the Metropark hotel on Friday where one guest has been confirmed to be ill with the virus.

The Finnish woman says hotel guests have been asked to stay in their rooms. They have been tested three times daily for the virus and told that anyone showing signs of fever over 38 degrees will be immediately transferred to a suitably prepared hospital.

Finnish Band Interrupts South American Tour

The Finnish rock band Rasmus has interrupted its tour of South America due to the outbreak of swine flu and returned to Finland. According to the tabloid Iltalehti, Rasmus lead vocalist Lauri Ylönen has already visited a Helsinki hospital to be tested for the virus. However, band manager Seppo Vesterinen told the paper the singer just wanted to be on the safe side and had shown no symptoms of the disease.

The Rasmus played concerts in Mexico last Saturday and Sunday. The band is scheduled to play in Buenos Aires, Argentina next Wednesday.

Individual Infection Risk Small

A Finnish researcher considers the individual risk of serious infection to be relatively small. According to Professor Ilkka Julkunen of the National Institute for Health and Welfare, current figures indicate this is a normal seasonal influenza. But he warns if the outbreak turns out to be a new strain, the potential number of cases could be exceptionally great.

Julkunen adds this is by no means a ‘false alarm’; the disease must be taken seriously.

His comments follow remarks by American researchers that the current influenza could be less dangerous than previously thought.