Capital confirms 1st flu case

Another case of A(H1N1) flu was confirmed in Beijing on Saturday evening raising the Mainland’s toll of infected people to three.

The 18-year-old female student surnamed Liu, who was confirmed to carry the virus, voluntarily isolated herself while on the flight from the United States to China on May 11.

Beijing Health Bureau Director, Fang Laiying, expressed appreciation to Liu for avoiding contact with people and keeping a diary about her journey.

Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, had a video meeting with Liu in Ditan Hospital yesterday. She was reported to be in a stable condition last night, with her temperature back to normal.

Meanwhile, the Chinese mainland’s first confirmed A(H1N1) patient was discharged from a southwestern Sichuan Province hospital at around 4pm on Sunday. The province also lifted the quarantine for all the 166 people who had been exposed to this patient.

Another confirmed patient, surnamed Lu, is recovering at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Jinan City,, east China's Shandong Province. "We are preparing to discharge Lu as he shows no more flu symptoms," said the hospital's president.

As of Sunday, Hong Kong confirmed its third case of the influenza and Japan reported dozens of new suspected cases. Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases has climbed to 8,480, while the death toll remains at 72, the World Health Organization said in its latest report.