BEIJING – The World Health Organization has said that there is no cause for alarm following reports of the first case of local transmission of influenza A (H1N1) in China.
China's Ministry of Health today confirmed that a 28-year-old man who recently arrived in the southern city of Guangzhou from New York in the United States had been infected with the A (H1N1) virus. He had also passed on the infection to a close contact, a 24-year-old woman in Guangzhou. The Ministry has called her the first second-generation case of A (H1N1) reported in mainland China.
"The situation is evolving. We must be mindful as we still do not understand how this will unfold," said Dr Hans Troedsson, WHO's Representative in China. "At the moment, most of the confirmed cases in China are linked to travel. We don't have any evidence of sustained community transmission."
Dr Troedsson commended the authorities for sharing the information in a quick and transparent way. "The Chinese government is working on further investigations, and has responded with a major effort to limit the spread. We are in regular contact with them for updates. Any information about confirmed cases will be passed quickly to the public."
WHO stressed the importance of maintaining a high level of surveillance for the early detection and treatment of A (H1N1) cases. "We cannot stop the virus from spreading but we can take measures to slow it down and to mitigate its impact in the community," said Dr Troedsson, adding that outside of the Americas, infected people have shown mild symptoms so far.
He also urged the Chinese government to make sure there was a surge capacity for health care facilities and services in the event of a community outbreak, when healthcare workers may have to deal with an increase in A (H1N1) patients in addition to regular patients.
Public education on A (H1N1) also needs to be enhanced, said WHO, noting that people must be informed about the situation and how they can protect themselves against infection by taking simple but effective measures like social distancing and practising good hygiene.