HONG KONG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed Influenza A/H1N1 cases in Asia-Pacific region continued to rise on Saturday as more new cases were reported.
Singapore reported 23 new cases of Influenza A/ H1N1 on Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 126.
According to the Singapore Health Ministry, the newly confirmed cases comprise eight local cases and 15 with travel history, including an Asian Youth Games (AYG) athlete from the Philippines.
The ministry warned that it may be a matter of time before more cases arising from local transmission, which may signal the start of community spread.
In Malaysia, seven new A/H1N1 flu cases were confirmed on Saturday, bringing the country's total number to 42.
The Malaysian Health Ministry said a locally transmitted case was among the seven latest cases, but did not disclose more details.
An 11-year-old local girl from a school in Kuala Lumpur was also among the new infected patients, according to the ministry.
The girl had just returned home after a holiday trip to Melbourne with her grandmother who had been confirmed as the 30th case in the country on Friday.
The girl went to school the following day, resulting in the home quarantine of her classmates.
Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters at his ministry on Saturday that the Malaysian health authorities were checking if students from other classes and teachers had close contact with the girl.
In Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 20 people were found ill with the A/H1N1 flu virus during the past 24 hours as of2:30 p.m. on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the city to 255, according to a spokesman of the HKSAR's Department of Health.
The spokesman said five of the confirmed patients caught the disease during their trips overseas and the rest 15 contracted locally.
Among the new cases included a teacher of Ling Liang Church M HLau Secondary School, a student of Renaissance College, a student of YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, a student of American International School and four students of Australian International School.
Hong Kong's education authorities announced Saturday night three more secondary schools would suspend classes for 14 days starting June 21 to avoid further spread of the A/H1N1 flu among students.
A spokesperson from the Education Bureau said the schools would "put in place contingency measures relating to class suspension and inform parents of the arrangements."
In Macao Special Administrative Region, the number of the flu cases rose to three with two Macao residents confirmed to have been infected with the A/H1N1 influenza.
According to Macao's Health Bureau, the two local patients, a 27-year-old air hostess and 54-year-old man, have been quarantined in local hospital and their conditions has remained stable so far.
The air hostess traveled outside Macao several times between June 6 and 17, and she showed flu symptoms after flying back to Macao from Tokyo on June 17. The male patient, having been to Toronto, fell sick as he returned to Macao via neighboring Hong Kong on the same day. Both of them tested positive for the virus.
In Sri Lanka, another two A/H1N1 flu cases have been detected, adding the total affected to four, the Sri Lankan government said Saturday.
The Department of Government Information said in a statement that the two new victims are also close relatives of the first A/H1N1 flu patient, an eight-year-old boy. All patients arrived in Sri Lanka from Australia last Sunday.
However, officials from the Health Ministry said there is no reason to be panic as the situation is well under control.
In Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City Health Department said on Saturday that a woman coming back from Australia became the country's 37th A/H1N1 flu case, local online news source the VietnamNet reported.
The 37-year-old patient returned to Vietnam from Australia on the flight VN780 on Thursday. She, a mother of two children, was confirmed positive to the A/H1N1 virus on Friday. The three patients are now being treated at the HCM City Hospital of Children No.1.
In an earlier report, the VietnamNet said the country confirmed36 A/H1N1 flu cases. Among the previously confirmed 36 cases, 29 patients are from HCM City, three from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, two from the southern province of Vung Tau, one from the central province of Khanh Hoa and one from the capital city of Hanoi.
With number of flu patients rising quickly, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health requested that passengers on flights having A/H1N1 flu patients quarantine themselves and report their health conditions to the nearest health agencies when having symptoms of fever and cough.
Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu ¡¡
