Ten members of local professional football league club Clico San Juan Jabloteh are suspected to have contracted the H1N1 swine flu virus while on duty in the Concacaf Champions League last month.
The players Karlon Murray, Abiola Clarence, Hector Sam, Joel Russell, Jerrel Britto, Kern Cooper, Jason Marcano, Cyrano Glen, Lester Peltier and Ataullah Guerra have been quarantined for the next three days after being examined by a doctor, officials said yesterday.
It’s the second time that Britto will be quarantined. He was part of the national Under-17 team that competed at the Concacaf Under-17 Championship, in Tijuana, Mexico, last April at the height of the H1N1 outbreak in that country. Jabloteh was expected to begin defence of its Digicel Pro League Big Six title on Saturday at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
However, the match had to be postponed after Jabloteh informed the Pro League officials it would not be able to field a team as most of its players were suffering from flu-like symptoms. A medical report to the Pro League indicated that a number of players all showed signs of swine flu.
The report also noted that preliminary tests for Influenza A were negative, however, confirmatory tests will take at least another 72 hours. Jabloteh chief executive officer Azaad Mohammed-Khan said most of the players were showing signs of ill ness since the team returned from Concacaf Champions League duties away to a Mexican club on September 23.
Mohammed Khan said, “When we returned from Mexico a number of players were not feeling well, but we still the First Citizens Cup semi-final two days later (September 25), and then the Champions League match match with DC United in Washington on September 30.
“In Washington, we barely got through the match as all the guys were ill and it showed in our performance as we lost 5-1,” added Mohammed-Khan. However, coach Earl Jean said at least one player was showing signs of illness even before the team went to Mexico.
“We are not too sure where the guys picked it up because we have been travelling through Central America (Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama) a lot in recent times due to the Concacaf Champions League competition,” Jean said.