The two are in stable condition and their temperatures have fallen to normal. Most people who had close contact with them have been quarantined and none of them have shown flu symptoms, the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau said in a statement.

The bureau called on those who had returned from abroad to stay at home for a seven-day observation period. They also urged residents to avoid crowds, wash hands regularly, and take a rest at home when catching flu. The patients are urged to wear masks and not to take public transport when going to see doctors.

All the cases but one on the mainland were found shortly after they came from countries hard hit by the A/H1N1 flu epidemic. Seven were in Beijing, four in Shanghai, six in Guangdong, three in Fujian, and one each in Sichuan, Shandong, Zhejiang and Hunan.

Eight cases have been discharged from hospital by Saturday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).

China raised vigilance against influenza A/H1N1 on Friday after a patient in southern Guangdong Province was declared the first case of local transmission on the mainland.

The patient, a 24-year-old woman living in Guangdong's capital city of Guangzhou, was believed to be infected by a man from New York on Monday. Guangdong provincial department of health confirmed both as A/H1N1 flu cases Friday noon.

Her flu symptoms have eased, Yin Zhibiao, deputy president of the Guangzhou No. 8 People's Hospital, said Saturday. But as the mainland's first case of local transmission, she would likely stay longer in hospital, Yin added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2009)