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No flu sign on quarantined passengers so far
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-04 11:24 BEIJING/SHANGHAI -- None of the passengers quarantined in China who took the same flight with a Mexican national later diagnosed with influenza A/H1N1 in Hong Kong had shown flu symptoms as of Sunday noon, China's health ministry said. All the passengers aboard Thursday's Mexican flight Aeromexico 098 from Mexico City to Shanghai have been located and those who remained in China were quarantined, the ministry said. The Mexican, a 25-year-old male, arrived in Shanghai Thursday aboard the flight, which carried 176 passengers and 13 crew. Hours later, he and some other passengers left for Hong Kong on China Eastern Airlines flight MU505.
Mao Qun'an, an official with the ministry, said China had "redoubled its prevention and control efforts" following the notification from Hong Kong, including tracing the passengers and putting them under medical observation, suspending flights from Mexico starting Saturday, and stepping up communication with Hong Kong and the World Health Organization. Strict Quarantine The week-long quarantine in Shanghai affects 68 people, including 48 passengers whose destination was Shanghai, seven who intended to go on to other destinations, and 13 crew members. They were divided into two groups in two hotels, one in Nanhui district, the other in Pudong district. Fifty-nine relatives of the 48 Shanghai passengers were asked to stay at home for observation. Another 28 people who had close contacts with the Mexican at the airport were also under observation at home. They include two customs staff, eight border police, six China Eastern staff and 12 safety inspectors. Among the 176 passengers on AM098, excluding the 55 in Shanghai, 111 went to 18 Chinese provinces and municipalities, which have taken similar measures against the epidemic, while 10 others left the Chinese mainland, going to Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong. |