Macao reported four newly confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 on Thursday, bringing the total number of such cases to 143 so far.

The newly confirmed cases concerned one man and three women, aged between?seven and 56, according to Macao's Health Bureau. Three of the cases were locally confirmed while only one was imported.

One of the locally-infected cases was found in the biggest government-run hospital in Macao, and the patient was a staffer of the hospital's emergency room, whose responsibility included transferring patients infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus.

According to the statistics from the Bureau, some 22 patients who tested positive for the virus were still receiving medical treatment at local hospitals to date, and their health conditions remained stable.

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2009)