By staff reporter Liu Jingjing

(Caijing.com.cn) China's Ministry of Health confirmed Friday that a new suspected case of A(H1N1) flu in Guangdong Province was the first domestic infection on the mainland.

The patient, a 24-year-old female, has had close contact with a 28-year-old Chinese-American man who was confirmed Friday as Guangdong's third A(H1N1) flu patient. The latter, who works in a hospital in New York, developed a sore throat May 24 after he flew from New York to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, via Incheon City in the Republic of Korea. He fell ill and went to the hospital Wednesday.

He and his girlfriend spent Monday and Tuesday taking bridal photos at a wedding photography studio in Guangzhou. During that time, they had contact with the infected female, who works as a beautician for the couple. The female patient developed a sore throat, headache and fever Wednesday morning. She was sent to hospital Thursday and tested positive with the A(H1N1) flu virus by the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Both patients are in stable condition.

The case indicates a growing risk of domestic infection, and this has caused "great concern" at the national level.

Health Minister Chen Zhu has sent an expert team to Guangdong. The ministry called a national video conference on Friday afternoon to discuss further control steps.

Also on Friday, the Health Ministry announced that two new suspected A(H1N1) flu cases were reported in Guangdong's Shenzhen city.

By Friday, Mainland China has reported 16 confirmed A(H1N1) flu cases and four suspected ones.

The emergence of domestic infection means that China's combat against the flu “has stepped into a new age,” said Huang Jianshi, the Dean of the School of Public Health, Peking Union Medical College.

Huang said the second generation cases pose a challenge to China's control and prevention system. It calls in question the capability of a flawed basic public health system to shield the elderly and children from harm caused by the flu. He also emphasized the importance of education on public health.

The medical authorities of Beijing suggest that people from flu affected areas stay at home and carry out a seven-day self-quarantine.

The World Health Organization commented May 29 that there is no need to panic. The WHO delegate in China said there is no evidence that a continuous community disease transmission exists. He attached importance to intensified monitoring and early finding and treatment of the flu. He also urged the Chinese authorities to ensure that medical institutions can accommodate for extra patients when an epidemic of the flu breaks out in communities.

Full article in Chinese: http://www.caijing.com.cn/2009-05-31/110173348.html

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