Adelaide United has confirmed Ghanaian striker Lloyd Owusu has contracted swine flu just hours after it emerged Gold Coast United forward Tahj Minniecon has also been infected.
Former Ghana international Owusu arrived in Australia at the end of last month after agreeing a two-year deal with last year’s Hyundai A-League runner-up.
It is believed the 32-year-old contracted the virus shortly after he touched down or on the flight from England.
His case has been complicated by pneumonia, Reds club doctor James Ilic has confirmed.
“Lloyd has got confirmed swine flu complicated by pneumonia. You can get varying side effects such as aches with the virus but Lloyd got pneumonia with it,” said Ilic.
“The incubation period would suggest that he either got it almost straight after arriving in Australia or on the flight from the UK, they’re the two likely scenarios.”
“He has been in isolation since Sunday. He’s progressing well but he’s still awhile away from joining the main group.”
“It’s no different from dealing with human influenza, which is relatively common. It’s just a matter of him getting plenty of rest, symptomatic treatment and lots of fluid, and treatment with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.”
Adelaide, which has qualified for next year’s Asian Champions League after reaching the final in 2008, kicks off its new Hyundai A-League campaign against Perth Glory on August 7.
Former Brentford and Sheffield Wednesday frontman Owusu, who spent last season on loan at Brighton from Cheltenham, has been looking to get himself in peak condition for the new season, which is set to be his first outside of England.
“Definitely it’s a massive setback but at the end of the day health is the most important first and foremost,” said Owusu.
“I’ve never had this before so it was like ‘welcome to Adelaide, thanks very much’. I’m slowly getting my energy back and I feel a lot better but internally the pneumonia is still there.”
“I’ll just get back in with the boys slowly but we just need to make sure we manage it well, but to be fair I realistically probably won’t be in action for a week or two yet.”
The news of Owusu’s illness comes hours after fellow Hyundai A-League outfit Gold Coast United confirmed youngster Minniecon has contracted the disease and four team-mates have been have been quarantined as a precaution.
Daniel Piorkowski, Adam Griffiths, Matt Osman and Joel Porter have all displayed similar symptoms to Minniecon and are being treated, although the quartet have not been confirmed as having the virus.
