BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Nine new A/H1N1 flu cases
were confirmed on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, bringing the total number to
33.
One case was confirmed in Beijing, one each in Fujian
and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai, and five in Guangdong Province.
The latest confirmed patient in Guangdong -- a
22-year-old beautician surnamed Xue who works at a wedding photography studio in
Guangzhou, the provincial capital -- became the second case of local
transmission on the mainland.
She had close contact with a 28-year-old
Chinese-American man surnamed Li, who developed a sore throat on May 24 after he
flew from New York to Guangzhou, via Incheon, in the Republic of Korea. On
Monday and Tuesday, he and his girlfriend spent two days with studio workers,
including the beautician, taking bridal photos.
Another beautician at the studio surnamed Dai was
confirmed to be infected with A/H1N1 on Friday.
The Guangdong Health Department said late Sunday
three new cases in Shenzhen were confirmed. They include two Chinese sisters
aged 18 and 20 who flew back from New York on Thursday and a 13-year-old
Canadian girl who arrived in Shenzhen from Canada Saturday.
Earlier Sunday, a 23-year-old Chinese Venezuelan in
Foshan, Guangdong, was confirmed to have A/H1N1. The female college student left
Venezuela Tuesday and flew to Guangzhou Wednesday via Paris, and relatives drove
her back to Foshan City, the provincial health department said.
The Guangdong Center for Disease Control and
Prevention also confirmed Sunday that it had found an A/H1N1 virus carrier, but
he showed no flu symptoms.
The carrier -- a 19-year-old man who had close
contact with two confirmed cases in Shenzhen -- tested positive for the flu
strain on Thursday. After having some preventive medicine, he tested negative
for the virus Sunday.
The center said the man had shown no flu symptoms and
was healthy.
The finding proved the assumption of foreign experts
that cases of covert A/H1N1 infection existed, said He Jianfeng, director of the
epidemic prevention and treatment institute under the center.
"It is of significance in adjusting prevention and
control strategies and proves again the necessity of quarantine measures for
those who have close contact with confirmed cases," he said.
The Fujian case, the fourth confirmed in the
province, flew in from New York to Hong Kong via Vancouver on Tuesday. He then
flew to Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian, on Thursday morning, the Fujian
Health Department said.
He showed symptoms of fever and a cough on Saturday
and was treated in the Lianjiang County Hospital. On Sunday, he was transferred
to the Fuzhou Pulmonary Hospital.
The results of tests conducted by the Fuzhou city and
Fujian provincial disease control and prevention centers confirmed he wasA/H1N1
positive.
The new Beijing case is a 7-year-old Chinese Canadian
girl who flew from Canada to Beijing Saturday afternoon. She went directly to
the Ditan Hospital on arrival after her temperature was measured at 38.1 degrees
Celsius at the airport.
The Zhejiang case is a 39-year-old resident of
Hangzhou, the provincial capital. She went to Australia on May 17 and flew back
from Melbourne to Hong Kong Saturday and then flew to Hangzhou later that day.
China has raised vigilance against influenza A/H1N1
after the first case of local transmission was found.
Because the case indicated that the virus had begun
to spread to local populations from an imported case, "the Ministry of Health
attaches great importance to the case and will soon consider stepping up
prevention and control work nationwide," the ministry said in a statement.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) was also discussing further measures, such as the closure of schools and
entertainment venues, should the situation turn serious, the center's chief
epidemiologist Zeng Guang said on Friday.
But he stressed that there was no need for panic
because the government had made careful preparations and the disease was largely
preventable and treatable.
Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Friday urged vaccine
companies to step up preparations for vaccine production during an inspection of
Sinovac, the only Chinese company qualified to produce vaccines for a flu
pandemic.
Beijing Health Bureau said from Sunday ambulances on
the "120" and "999" service would take those who had close contact with
confirmed cases or showed symptoms of fever to hospital for free.
The bureau also urged those who arrived from abroad
to quarantine themselves at home for a week.
According to the World Health Organization, 53 countries
had officially reported 15,510 cases of A/H1N1 infection, including 99
deaths, as of Friday.
