[GEARED UP: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (second from right) checking out the AYG's medical centre at Swissotel yesterday.]
By CHIA HAN KEONG
THE inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) will go on as planned, despite concerns over the worldwide spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.
Games organisers have set up a series of measures to educate and protect the over 1,000 youth athletes that will take part in the Games from June 29 to July 7.
Not only will all participating athletes be required to take their temperatures twice daily during the Games period, but each of them will also be given a health kit.
The kit will contain a thermometer, surgical mask, hand sanitiser and a health advisory to tell them how to maintain daily personal hygiene.
Besides these measures, the Games Organising Committee has also set aside a big portion of its temporary medical centre at the Games Village at Swissotel The Stamford to effectively isolate and test any suspected H1N1 case for confirmation.
There are 13 isolation rooms set up for suspected flu patients, as well as throat-swab testing equipment to collect samples to test for confirmation of the virus at Singapore General Hospital.
Organisers also advise sports fans who are not feeling well to avoid attending AYG events, especially those held in stadiums.
After touring the medical centre yesterday, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said: "We are acutely aware that we have over 1,000 athletes, aged 14 to 17, with us for about two weeks. It is paramount that their health and safety are taken care of.
"At the same time, we want to show that, if everyone plays his part in maintaining good personal hygiene and seeing a doctor immediately if he has flu-like symptoms, then life can go on normally here."
There are 66 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus here. Seventeen new patients were confirmed on Wednesday, the highest number of cases in a day so far.
