Sun Sentinel - Broward students quarantined in China over H1N1 swine flu fears by Joel Marino SunSentinel.comNine Broward County high school students and one teacher were detained and quarantined on Tuesday in Beijingover fears of the H1N1 swine flu.
The group may be held for up to seven days in China, according to an official with the Spokane, Wash.-based People to People Student Ambassador Program, which arranges educational trips for United States students.
The detained group was traveling with 11 other students and two other teachers from South Florida. Officials with the Spokane program would not release their names or the schools they attend.
Though none were sick, a nearby passenger on their flight had flu-like symptoms, said Meredith Banka, the organization's vice president.
The group left for China on Saturday and was detained Tuesday, Banka said. The students' parents must now decide if they want their children to stay in China once they're released from quarantine, she said.
"We developed a plan as soon as we heard about the swine flu outbreak, so we were ready to handle such a situation," Banka said, adding such trips generally last 14-19 days. "Safety is our number one priority when students travel."
The students who were not quarantined were on their way to see the Great Wall, Banka said.
Calls to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., were not immediately returned, but its website said travelers have been detained since mid-May when the first H1N1 swine flu virus case was reported in that country.
Among them: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, his wife and a security guard, who were detained Sunday and remain in quarantine at a Shanghai hotel. Like the students, the entourage had sat near a passenger who appeared ill.
Mainland China has reported 97 H1N1 swine flu infections since May.
The disease, which officials think began in Mexico in March, has spread around the world at an alarming rate.
The World Health Organization said as of Tuesday that 73 countries had reported more than 26,000 infections, including 140 deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Latests CDC: Case Count here
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TOTAL*(52) 13,217 cases 27 deaths
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Sun Sentinel - Broward students quarantined in China over H1N1 swine flu fears
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