Chinese mainland confirms another 9 A/H1N1 cases

Nine more A/H1N1 flu cases were confirmed on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases of the influenza on the mainland to 33. Hong Kong now has 23 cases and Taiwan, 12.

Chinese women wearing masks as a precaution walk past a display of  time zones at the capital airport in Beijing Friday, May 29 , 2009.  China said Friday that it suspects the swine flu virus has been  transmitted within the country for the first time, but health  officials said it wasn't a cause for worry.

Of the 9 new cases on the mainland, 5 were in Guangdong province. One case was in Beijing, one in Shanghai, and there was one each in the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.

One of the patients in Guangdong is the second case of local transmission on the mainland. The 22-year-old man works at a wedding photography studio in the provincial capital of Guangzhou.

Guangdong health authorities have also confirmed the discovery of an A/H1N1 virus carrier who showed no flu symptoms. The carrier -- a 19-year-old man who had close contact with two confirmed cases in Shenzhen -- tested positive for the flu strain on Thursday. After receiving treatment, he tested negative for the virus Sunday.

Potential transmission during the latency period of the viral infection poses a challenge to medical experts.

Shu Yuelong, director of China Disease Control Center, said, "The increase in A/H1N1 flu patients, as well as the emergence of local cases, have indicated the complexity and uncertainty of the cases. China's prevention measures are adapting to the changing circumstances. That means, in different phases of the virus development, we have different strategies."

The new Beijing case is a 7-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl who flew from Canada to Beijing on Saturday afternoon. She went directly to Ditan Hospital upon arrival after she was discovered to have a temperature at the airport.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong reported three new cases of A/H1N1 flu, bringing the total number of cases in the Special Administrative Region to 23. And in Taiwan, one new case was reported on Sunday, which is the island's 12th.