Food and Health Secretary Dr York Chow called a sudden late-night news conference last week to order more than half a million kindergarten and grade school students to stay home for two weeks. Earlier that same day, he had told reporters there would be no need for such a move.

But the latest death of a 7-year-old boy and the hospitalization of five of his classmates continued to weigh on Dr Chow.

Given Hong Kong's history of being hit by new infectious diseases, such as the H5N1 bird flu virus and SARS, Dr Chow chose the 'better safe than sorry' path amid new bird flu outbreaks in mainland China and world fears that a flu pandemic could start anytime, anywhere.

'It may be a little bit drastic, but it is reassuring to the community,' Dr Chow said when making Thursday's announcement. 'When outbreaks happen, if you wait until you have all the data to make a decision, it may be too late. Even though what I did carries some political risk and poses a certain amount of pressure on me, I think this will make Hong Kong safer.'

Tests later revealed that the boy and a 3-year-old girl who died earlier had underlying health problems that were probably exacerbated by flu viruses circulating in the region.

The school closing was the boldest public health decision Hong Kong has made since SARS hit in 2003, and a health official said Monday that the outbreak has not yet peaked as more people continue to fall ill.

'The less you know, the more stringent you must be,' said Dr.

David Heymann, the World Health Organisation's top flu expert, who added that Hong Kong often serves as an indicator of undetected diseases circulating in mainland China.

The move did not incite fear, and only an occasional protective surgical mask was spotted on the city's busy streets.

Exactly five years ago, Hong Kong faced another major health dilemma. A mysterious virus was killing people, but Dr Chow's predecessor, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, downplayed fears and was slow in responding to the threat that would eventually be named severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

The virus infected 1,755 people in Hong Kong, killing 299 of the nearly 800 that succumbed worldwide.

Many of the city's nearly 7 million people were gripped by fear, and the disease became symbolized by photos of residents donning surgical masks. The economy nose-dived as investors and tourists stayed away.

Yeoh took responsibility and resigned. Dr Chow, the surgeon who replaced him, decided that overreaction to the current outbreak was better than an insufficient response, even though it was still unclear at the time what caused the children's deaths.

Dr Chow's decision was largely embraced, but some parents and educators expressed frustration. Many were forced to scramble to find last-minute child care and some students unknowingly reported to school.

'During SARS, they did the wrong thing,' said Ms June Ng, whose 8-year-old daughter was off from school, even though none of her classmates had fallen ill. 'It's the same situation. They don't know how to handle it. They don't know what to do.'

SARS first appeared in southern China in late 2002, and Hong Kong earlier faced another virus that experts believe originated on the mainland: bird flu. -- AP