The Food and Health Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government issued "strong advice" on Tuesday calling on residents to avoid traveling to swine-flu affected areas, particularly Mexico.

The HKSAR government "has strongly advised residents to avoid all non-essential travel to human swine-flu affected areas, particularly Mexico," the HKSAR government said in a bulletin broadcast across the local media.

The deadly swine influenza A H1N1 has claimed over 100 lives in Mexico and spread to several other countries, prompting strict prevention measures worldwide.

There have been no confirmed cases of human infections of the swine influenza A H1N1 in Hong Kong so far. Four patients fulfilling the reporting criteria were currently undergoing tests, while all-clear has been given for other three patients.

But local health authorities have been making all-out efforts over the past days to fend off what officials said could be a potential outbreak sooner or later.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2009)