Rugby boys hit by eye infection

A city rugby boss is 'very disappointed' his team was not warned of a health risk in Singapore after 40 out of 60 boys aged nine to 16 returned from a rugby tournament with an eye condition rarely seen in Hong Kong.

Phillip Baldwin, chairman of the DB Pirates, said the Singaporean organisers knew about the outbreak in their city before last month's tournament but failed to warn the visitors. 'I am very disappointed that we did not receive a warning of any kind [from the organisers], not even in a very casual way,' Baldwin said.

'If we had known about the outbreak we would have been a lot more prepared and maybe not have suffered so badly. Some parents may even have decided not to let their children go there.'

Hong Kong doctors had had trouble treating the infection and had to order medicine from overseas to treat it because there was none available in the city, Baldwin said. Advice had also been sought from doctors in Singapore.

Baldwin, also head coach of the under-14s side, said 40 of the 60 boys who went to Singapore had developed symptoms of infection such as itchy, painful and red eyes and sensitivity to light.

A Health Department spokesman said the boys' symptoms pointed to keratoconjunctivitis, an inflammation of the cornea and the white of the eye caused by micro-organisms.

He said the department was investigating the outbreak with the Singaporean authorities. 'There have also been outbreaks in other teams, from Malaysia and Singapore, but only several people were affected,' he said.