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The photo taken on May 13, 2009 from
video shows the confirmed A/H1N1 patient surnamed Lv (R) at an ICU of the
Jinan Infectious Disease Hospital in Jinan, east China's Shandong
Province. China's Ministry of Health confirmed Wednesday the 19-year-old
student surnamed Lv who returned from Canada last week has tested positive
for the A/H1N1 influenza. (Xinhua/Fan Changguo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of
Health confirmed Wednesday a Shandong man has tested positive for the A/H1N1
flu. And authorities are seeking plane and train passengers who had exposure to
this man.
The case, the second of its kind on the Chinese
mainland, involved a 19-year-old student surnamed Lu who arrived in Beijing from
Canada May 8 and traveled to Jinan, provincial capital of Shandong, three days
later in a train labeled D41. The patient's surname, Lu, could also be spelled
as Lv for convenience of Chinese character input.
The development came just two days after a
30-year-old man surnamed Bao was found to have contracted the virus in Chengdu,
Sichuan Province. Bao is the first confirmed case of A/H1N1 on the Chinese
mainland.
Canadian Embassy in Beijing confirmed Wednesday that
Lu, who studied at a Canadian university, boarded Air Canada flight AC029
together with his Chinese girlfriend surnamed Zhang, in Toronto at noon May 7,
and stopped in Vancouver before arriving in Beijing May 8.
An unidentified embassy spokesman, however, said the
embassy had no information on the number of Canadian nationals aboard the flight
or their whereabouts.
Beijing Airport authorities said Lu's body
temperature was normal when he arrived in Beijing.
Both Lu and Zhang, Lu's girlfriend, stayed in Beijing
for three more days. Zhang, a 17-year-old girl, later took a private car sent by
her parents to take her home to Tianjin Monday.
The Chinese Health Ministry disclosed Wednesday Lu
had a fever May 10 and developed a sore throat and headache May 11. He took his
temperature himself and had a reading of 39 degrees Celsius.
Lu left Beijing by train D41 Monday evening for
Jinan, and reported by phone to the Jinan Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) while on the train. He was later sent to the Jinan Infectious
Disease Hospital for isolation and treatment.
The Jinan CDC and Shandong CDC conducted tests on the
virus specimen of the patient Tuesday, which showed that he was "suspected
positive" for A/H1N1.
The Health Ministry also said Lu was "recovering with
a normal body temperature".
The country's health authorities had begun to trace
those in close contact with Lu during his travels. Tracing train passengers
could be more difficult than plane passengers in China as ID is not required
before boarding.
Health authorities in Shandong Province said they had
reached 19 of the 43 other passengers who were in the same carriage as Lu when
they traveled back from Beijing to Jinan by train Monday. Eighteen of the found
passengers were receiving medical observation at home, and the last one was sent
back to Beijing for quarantine.
Eight workers serving train D41 that night were also
put under medical observation.
Zong Lin, chief of disease control and prevention
section with Shandong Provincial Health Bureau, said they were tightening
cooperation with a local mobile phone service operator and a local TV station in
sending text messages and running roll-on subtitles with TV programs in pursuit
of the rest train passengers.
Tianjin Municipal Health Bureau said Wednesday they
had found four passengers who were on the same flight AC029 with Lu, including
Ms Zhang, Lu's girlfriend. All the four were arranged to stay in an unidentified
establishment for keeping a week-long medical observation as of Wednesday. They
didn't show symptoms of the virus.
Zhang's parents were said to be under medical
observation at home. They also showed no symptoms of the virus, according to the
municipal health bureau of Tianjin.
Health Department in east China's Jiangsu Province
said Wednesday they had contacted one local who had traveled on the same flight
AC029 as Lu, and put him under quarantine. Family members of this flight
passenger found in Jiangsu were also under observation at home. They didn't show
symptoms.
He Jun, spokesman of Chengdu City Health Bureau, said
Wednesday they had contacted one foreign national in Chengdu who was said tobe
in the same flight AC029 as Lu. The foreign national, whose name is not
disclosed and a companion, were put under quarantine.
Bao, the Chinese mainland's first A/H1N1 flu case,
who has been kept at Chengdu Infectious Diseases Hospital for isolation and
medical treatment for four days, is recovering rapidly.
"He shows normal temperature, eats normally, and is
in good mood too," said He, the spokesman. Another 126 people who had contact
with Bao have been put under quarantine at a local camp in Chengdu. There are no
reports of flu symptoms.
Beijing, Jinan, capital of Shandong, and Chengdu,
capital of Sichuan Province, have taken measures to prevent spreading of A/H1N1
flu via mass transit.
A government employee with a family name as Li in
Beijing was about to travel by air to Xiamen, a port city in east China's Fujian
Province, for a business trip Thursday.
"I almost want to cancel this trip, for I am afraid
to be one of those unlucky passengers sitting next to a potentially new A/H1N1
flu case, and if that is the case, I will have to be isolated for a week-long
quarantine operation," said Li with a sigh.
Zhang Yushun, a resident from Jinan who was to travel
to Beijing by train Wednesday, said his family members worried after they
learned of the Shandong case.
"They told me not to have close contact with other
people," said Zhang Yushun, "I know this is no big deal, but still I am kind of
afraid to get infected of the virus."
China confirms second case of A/H1N1
influenza on mainland
BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Health
confirmed Wednesday a man who returned from Canada last week has tested positive
for the A/H1N1 influenza.
The case, the second of its kind on the Chinese
mainland, involved a 19-year-old student surnamed Lv who arrived in Beijing from
Canada on May 8 and traveled to Jinan, provincial capital of Shandong, three
days later. Full story
Second suspected A/H1N1 patient
recovering: Chinese Health Ministry
BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A 19-year-old Chinese student
who has been quarantined as the Chinese mainland's second suspected case of
A/H1N1 influenza is "recovering with a normal body temperature," China's Health
Ministry said Wednesday.
Final A/H1N1 test results of the man, surnamed Lv, were
still not available yet, said a statement on the ministry's website. Full story
Girlfriend of China's second A/H1N1
patient in quarantine
TIANJIN, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The girlfriend of China's
second confirmed A/H1N1 patient was quarantined Wednesday, but she has shown no
symptoms of the virus, the health department of Tianjin Municipality has
announced.
The 17-year-old woman surnamed Zhang traveled from
Toronto, Canada, with the flu carrier surnamed Lv on Air Canada flight AC029 on
May 8. They separated when they arrived in Beijing and she took a private car
sent by her parents to take her home to Tianjin on Sunday. Full story
China reports 63 entry passengers with
fever in past two days
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 63 passengers
entering China showed fever or other flu-like symptoms from Sunday to Monday,
said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine Tuesday.
Their cases have been handed to local health departments
for further observation or treatment, the ministry said. Full story
Hong Kong reports new suspected case
of A/H1N1 flu
HONG KONG, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A man arriving in Hong Kong
on Monday from the United States may have been infected with the A/ H1N1 flu
virus, local media reported Wednesday.
Samples taken from the man showed "slightly positive"
signs of infection in preliminary test and the Hong Kong University is doing
further examination. The man is now in a local infectious disease hospital, Hong
Kong's public broadcaster RTHK said. Full story
Chinese mainland's first A/H1N1 flu
patient recovering
CHENGDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland's first
confirmed A/H1N1 patient who was only identified by the family name Bao is
recovering, said He Jun, spokesman of Chengdu City Health Department in Sichuan
Province, Tuesday.
"Bao's life signs are stable: normal temperature,
alleviated symptoms, lighter coughing after three days' medication and care by
medical workers from the Health Ministry, Sichuan Province and Chengdu City," He
said at a news briefing held by Chengdu City Government Tuesday. Full story
