One suspected case of A/H1N1 influenza was reported in eastern China's Shandong Province, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday evening.
The case, the second of its kind on the Chinese mainland so far, involved a man surnamed Lv who traveled from Canada and arrived in Beijing on Flight AC029 on May 8.
He had a fever on May 10 and took his temperature himself on May 11. It was 39 degree Celsius, accompanied by symptoms like sore throat and headache.
His temperature had fallen to 36.4 degree Celsius as of midnight Tuesday, spokesman of Shandong Health Department said.
The man, 19, who studied at a Canadian university, left Beijing by Train D41 on Monday evening and arrived in Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong, three hours later, according to the ministry.
He reported to the Jinan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the train, which immediately sent him 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 respectively Tuesday, which showed that he was "suspected positive" of the A/H1N1 virus. To confirm whether the virus is A/H1N1, the specimen will be sent to China CDC for further testing.
The person was isolated and received treatment in Jinan, and was already in remission, the ministry said.
The Shandong health department reported the case to the MOH Tuesday afternoon that "a man in the Jinan Infectious Disease hospital is initially diagnosed as a suspected A/H1N1 influenza case based on his symptoms and laboratory tests."
The decision was made after the provincial health department organized experts in Shandong to diagnose the case.
The Shandong health authorities have disinfected the hospital. Some of the people in close contact with Lv have been put under medical observation.
The MOH, the Ministry of Railways and the civil aviation department are tracking down passengers on Flight AC029, with seats at line 32 to 38, and in the seventh carriage of the Beijing-Jinan train.
These passengers have been asked to contact local health authorities as soon as possible.
The MOH has sent medical specialists with epidemiological investigation and laboratory tests expertise to Jinan and told local authorities to immediately send the virus specimen to the China CDC for further testing.
The local health department was told to enhance treatment, conduct epidemiological investigation and track down people in close contact with the suspected patient.
The ministry has reported the case to the World Health Organization and relevant countries and regions.
Chinese mainland's first confirmed A/H1N1 patient who was only identified by the family name Bao is recovering. Bao was the second confirmed case of A/H1N1 influenza in China. A 25-year-old male Mexican was confirmed on May 1 in Hong Kong to be infected with influenza A/H1N1, and those who were in close contact with him were put under quarantine in 19 mainland regions.
(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2009)
