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Beijing to add new hospital against A(H1N1) flu

By Shan Juan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-06-15 21:29

Beijing is adding a brand new hospital to its arsenal in the battle against the A(H1N1) influenza virus as the city notches its 50th positive case, Beijing health bureau said Monday.

The facility will ease pressure on hospitals currently treating flu patients while also looking after people with routine injuries and illnesses.

Special coverage:  A(H1N1) Influenza Outbreak Related readings:  Flu cases surge over weekend  22 new cases push mainland flu tally to 165  Three more domestic flu cases confirmed  Flu prevention and control tactic effective China outlines tighter anti-flu measures

"Most of the patients were hospitalized in the two infectious hospitals as we tried to maintain the routine operation of the eight other hospitals with varied departments," Ma Yanming, a health bureau spokesperson told China Daily Monday. "As we are expecting more cases, the new hospital will help ease the pressure on all of the 10 hospitals (in Beijing that are treating flu patients)."

The new hospital will begin operating soon but Ma declined to give an exact date.

It will be located in the Shunyi district, in the northeast of the city and be able to accommodate 300 patients, Beijing News reported.

Two hospitals near Beijing International Airport will be involved in the screening of airline passengers with flu-like symptoms, Ma added.

Currently, suspected cases are also being sent to the city's 10 H1N1 hospitals, he said.

A total of 226 cases have been reported on the Chinese mainland. There have been no deaths, said the Ministry of Health.

In another development, Beijing health authorities Monday were tracking people who had been in contact with an H1N1 patient.

The 21-year-old woman had traveled around the capital by subway, bus and taxi before she was diagnosed on June 13, said the Beijing health bureau.

She arrived from Toronto on June 7 and saw a doctor on June 9 after she felt dizzy. She was not displaying a fever and was asked to rest at home.

She was diagnosed and hospitalized on June 13 after developing symptoms, including a cough and runny nose.

"She hadn't had a fever but had shown other symptoms. She should have followed instructions to practice self-quarantine at home," Ma noted. "Some of her close contacts are under medical observation now and we are tracking the rest. Anyone with concerns can call 12321, the public health hotline in Beijing."

Previously, a H1N1 patient publicly apologized for ignoring his symptoms and traveling on the subway and having dining with friends in Beijing.

In Guangdong province, two secondary infections have been detected in a subsidiary college of the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou city, according to the local health authority.

The male students shared a room on campus, reported Guangzhou Daily Monday. One of the men had contracted the virus after traveling on the same carriage of a train as an infected woman.

All of their close contacts have been quarantined and no school closure was planned, the health authority added.