Mainland's 1st H1N1 flu patient recovering

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-12 23:26

CHENGDU -- Chinese mainland's first confirmed A(H1N1) patient who was only identified by the family name Bao is recovering, said He Jun, spokesman of Chengdu City Health Department in Sichuan Province, Tuesday.

"Bao's life signs are stable: normal temperature, alleviated symptoms, lighter coughing after three days' medication and care by medical workers from the Health Ministry, Sichuan Province and Chengdu City," He said at a news briefing held by Chengdu City Government Tuesday.

Mainland's 1st H1N1 flu patient recovering

An ambulances carrying suspected A(H1N1) influenza patients for observation drives into the Guomen Hotel in Beijing, capital of China, May 11, 2009. [Xinhua]

Bao was also relieved of anxiety through psychological intervention and counseling, and was in a healthy mood, said He.

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Bao's father and girlfriend, both of whom had close contact with the patient and were requested to receive medical observation at Chengdu Infectious Diseases Hospital, the same hospital where Bao is kept, were transferred to the centralized observation camp of Chengdu City Tuesday afternoon.

Bao, 30, who had been studying at an American university, arrived in Beijing on board the Northwest Airlines flight NW029 May 9, after making a transfer in Tokyo from St Louis, Missouri, and St. Paul, Minnesota in the United States. His body temperature was normal when entering China. He then flew from Beijing to Chengdu on Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8882 the same day.

Bao was found to have a fever on the flight from Beijing to Chengdu accompanied by a sore throat, coughing, a stuffy nose and sneezing.

He went to the Sichuan People's Hospital after getting off the plane, and was tested "weakly positive" to A(H1N1) virus twice by the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention Sunday. He was then transferred to the Chengdu Infectious Disease Hospital. The Ministry of Health said Monday morning he tested positive for A(H1N1) influenza.

To prevent A(H1N1) flu from spreading in the Chinese mainland, Sichuan Province is seeking passengers who were on the same flight 3U8882 with Bao and other people with close contacts with these passengers.

A total of 125 people were put under quarantine in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, as of midday Tuesday, including 94 passengers and 31 other people with contact with the passengers, said He.

There were 150 passengers on flight 3U882. The crew were put under quarantine.

Chengdu didn't received reports about new confirmed or suspected A(H1N1) cases as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.

In the meantime, Chengdu City Center for Disease Control and Prevention has dispatched five groups down to different urban districts to guide and supervise A(H1N1) disease prevention efforts there.

Northwards, Beijing opened a second venue for quarantine purpose near the Capital Airport Monday, said Yu Debin, deputy chief of Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration who is appointed as commander-in-chief of medical observation venues for A(H1N1) flu.

The first venue used for quarantine is Guomenlu Hotel near the airport. This hotel, with only 188 rooms, which was used to quarantine people in an earlier flu case involving a Mexican national who ended up in Hong Kong, keeps 163 people under quarantine.

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