After a Vietnamese-American woman was quarantined with swine flu while transiting through South Korea, five others who traveled on the same flight OZ 271with her from the US and have arrived in Vietnam will remain under observation.

All passengers are measured their temperature in ariports in the country

Le Thi Bich arrived in South Korea from Seattle and was tested by airport officials who noticed she had a high fever. She was found to have the H1N1 virus and was hospitalized.

The five tourists arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on May 21 and the Ministry of Health has directed health officials to keep a close watch on them. They include four other overseas Vietnamese and a South Korean who is visiting Vietnam.

The Tan Son Nhat International Airport quarantine center has tested them and authorities have got their addresses so that they can monitor them.

The overseas Vietnamese are from the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, the central provinces of Phu Yen, Quang Nam, and the Mekong delta province of Vinh Long.

The Korean man went to the Tropical Hospital in HCMC and luckily tested negative for the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Authorities in the four provinces have quarantined the visitors and taken samples for tests.

Also on May 21, the airport quarantine center sent two Vietnamese returning from Malaysia and Taiwan (China) with high fever to the Tropical Hospital for tests.

The deputy director of the hospital, Tran Tinh Hien, said people returning from epidemic zones are coming in for tests on their own volition.

By May 20, 41 countries had reported 10,243 cases of influenza A (H1N1), including 80 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

But no cases of the flu have yet been reported in Vietnam.