Hong Kong reported three newly confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 on Saturday, bringing the accumulated number of confirmed cases in the city to 33, health authorities said in an announcement in Saturday evening.

The Information Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government had earlier said there were one newly confirmed cases in the 24 hours by 6:00 PM on Saturday, which was followed by an update about one hour later saying that there were three newly confirmed cases.

Hong Kong has reported a total of 33 confirmed influenza A/H1N1cases since authorities enhanced surveillance for infection of the virus on April 25. All were imported cases, the Center for Health Protection said.

The first newly confirmed case involved a 20-year-old woman, who left Geneva for London aboard British Airways flight BA729 on June 4 and then traveled to Hong Kong aboard BA025. She arrived in Hong Kong at about 2:00 PM on June 5. She sat in row 34 and put on a mask during the journey as she developed cough on the flight.

She was intercepted by port health officers at the airport and taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) by ambulance for isolation.

The second case involved an 18-year-old man who returned to Hong Kong from Toronto on June 4 by taking Cathay Pacific flight CX827. He sat in row 34. He had onset of cough on the flight and put on a mask, nevertheless headed back home on a taxi from the airport. The man sought medical treatment at a private clinic in the evening.

He went to the Immigration Department office in Fo Tan with his mother on a taxi to apply for some documents and then took another taxi to the Prince of Wales Hospital, where the man was admitted for isolation. His parents had no symptoms.

The third case involved a 25-year-old woman who returned from Canada to Hong Kong on June 3 aboard Cathy Pacific flight CX839. She lives in Ma On Shan. The woman went to her office in Central in the morning of June 5 and had onset of cough in the afternoon. She had fever on June 6 before seeking medical help at a private clinic. She took a taxi together with her mother to a public hospital, where she was admitted for isolation.

Laboratory tests on Saturday showed influenza A/H1N1 positive for all the three.

The Department of Health was tracing passengers sitting in rows33-36 of flight BA025 on June 5 and those sitting in rows 31-37 of flight CX827 on June 4, and affected crew members of the flights as well as the taxi drivers and others concerned.

Passengers affected were urged to call hotline (852)2125 1111.

As the third patient had onset of symptoms more than 12 hours after arriving in Hong Kong, health authorities would not trace the passengers of the flight concerned.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2009)