More than 130 of 150 passengers aboard the same flight with the Chinese mainland's first suspected case of A/H1N1 influenza, have been found and put into quarantine, according to a press conference early Monday.
The 30-year-old man surnamed Bao, who had been tested "weakly positive" to A/H1N1 virus twice by the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was "conscious and in stable condition," according to a press conference held by the Chengdu Municipal Government hours after a suspected case of A/H1N1 influenza had been found in southwestern Sichuan Province.
Bao's temperature was under control and "his basic vital signs such as pulse and blood pressure are normal," the press conference heard.
"At present, the Sichuan Province and relevant departments of Chengdu are stepping up efforts to search and trace (all the people who had close contact with Bao) and enhance prevention and control efforts so as to find all the people having close contact with him as soon as possible," it said.
The Chengdu health authorities received a report Saturday night from the city's CDC that the Sichuan People's Hospital reported a flu case from the United States which could not exclude the possibility of A/H1N1 infection.
It then immediately sent specialists to the spot to conduct an epidemiological investigation, and "initially diagnose it as suspected A/H1N1 influenza case" based on Bao's symptoms and laboratory tests.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced Sunday night that the first suspected case of A/H1N1 influenza was found in the Chinese mainland.
Bao, a native of Sichuan's Neijiang City, was a student of the University of Missouri in the United States. He arrived in Chengdu before returning to Neijiang, according to the press conference.
On May 7, Bao arrived in Tokyo from St. Louis via St. Paul of the United States. On May 8, he traveled on flight NW029 from Tokyo and arrived at the Beijing International Airport on May 9. He then flew from Beijing to Chengdu on flight 3U8882 the same day, the ministry said.
The MOH said Bao developed symptoms of fever on the flight from Beijing to Chengdu accompanied by sore throats, coughing, stuffy nose and sneezing. He went to the Sichuan People's Hospital after getting off the plane, accompanied by his father and girlfriend, by taxi.
Bao's girlfriend, his father and the taxi driver had been put into quarantine, it said, adding they received "considerate and sound" services.
All the people put under medical observation had been "properly arranged by the government," it said, adding five medical experts sent by the MOH had arrived in Chengdu
Yang Wei, director of the Chengdu Health Bureau, said a series of emergent measures had been taken, including conducting terminal disinfection on the Sichuan People's Hospital's fever outpatient section and putting relevant medical staff under medical observation.
Yang said the bureau had reported the case to the superior department and tried to search and trace the vehicle Bao had taken and the passengers.
"Local health authorities should step up prevention and control efforts and apply strict home medical observation measures to people who had close contact (with Bao). They are not allowed to go out during the observation period," he said.
Local community health service centers or village clinics would conduct daily inspection, including taking their temperatures and observing symptoms and physical signs, he said, adding a list of people who had close contact with the patient had been distributed to local CDCs.
The bureau asked local governments to designate more hospitals in order to handle more widespread epidemic and enhance screening of fever outpatients in all hospitals in Chengdu.
(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2009)
