HONG KONG, May 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korean health authorities confirmed Tuesday that a Vietnamese transit passenger quarantined at a local hospital has been infected with the new type-A influenza virus, bringing the total of fourth confirmed case in the country.
The 22-year-old woman who arrived in South Korea's Incheon International Airport from Seattle, the United States, on Sunday afternoon planned to take a connecting flight to Vietnam, but was held for observation after complaining of high fever, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
"Tests conducted on the woman showed she has been infected with the new flu virus," South Korea's Yonhap News reported citing a KCDC official.
As a precautionary measure, the KCDC is also tracking down the 101 passengers who were aboard the same airplane.
On the same day, a Japanese traveler has been quarantined at Jeju International Airport on South Korea's southern island of Jeju and has been isolated as she was showing symptoms similar to those of Influenza A/H1N1.
The female tourist, known to be in her 60s, arrived at the airport from Japan's Kansai Airport earlier in the day, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and prevention (KCDC).
The woman is going through in-depth tests to confirm whether she is infected with the new flu, the KCDC said.
On South Asia, Nepal on Tuesday has further intensified the preventive measures to thwart the possible spread of the A/H1N1 influenza virus after China reported a suspected case of the rirusin Tibet, a region close to Nepal.
China's Ministry of Health Tuesday said an Italian tourist, who was traveling from Nepal, was suspected of having the A/H1N1 flu virus and was being treated at a hospital in southwest Tibet Autonomous Region. The 42-year-old female, whose name was not disclosed by the ministry, was "in a stable condition" at a hospital in Zham town, bordering Nepal.
The woman flew to Nepal from Italy on May 12. Three days later she developed a sore throat, blocked nose and sweating. She had a fever with a body temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius at entry into Tibet at Zham on Saturday.
According to the special Health Desk set up by the ministry at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepali capital Kathmandu, the only international airport of the country, screening of international travelers for suspected cases of influenza is underway.
A total of 23 foreign nationals who traveled with her were quarantined at a local hotel, said the ministry.
In Japan, where the number of domestic infections cases of A/H1N1 flu rose above 170 Tuesday, the government said Tuesday it may discontinue quarantine inspections aimed at detecting cases ofA/H1N1 influenza aboard flights arriving in Japan from North America as early as the end of this week.
At a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said that though the quarantine measure aboard flights has been productive and helped detect the first four infection cases at the Narita International Airport, the government needs to shift its focus to domestic measures in line with the trend of the flu's transmission.
At a separate press conference, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said that the virus is already spreading domestically.
In light of the latest development of the flu's transmission, Masuzoe said that the government needs to devote human resources to stop the rapid domestic spread of the new flu.
Meanwhile, Thailand has implemented strict measures to prevent the probably rising A/H1N1 flu outbreak in the country during the World Youth Weightlifting Championships, which will kick off on Tuesday evening.
From May 19 to 24, Thailand's northern province of Chiang Mai will host the World Youth Weightlifting Championships, as almost 1,000 people, including athletes and related staff from over 60 countries will join this contest.
A separate floor in a hotel has been arranged for athletes from five high-risk countries -- Mexico, the United States, Canada, Britain and Spain, according to a Tuesday news report by the website of The Nation newspaper.
As of Tuesday, 40 countries have officially reported 9,832 cases of Influenza A/H1N1 infection, including 79 deaths.
Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu ¡¡
