Three people were tested positive for the A/H1N1 influenza virus in Hong Kong on Monday, bringing the number of confirmed cases of the disease in the city to 41, local health authorities announced.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said on Monday that the department was investigating three newly confirmed cases of A/H1N1 influenza. All of the 41 cases in Hong Kong so far are imported cases.

The first new case involved a 27-year-old woman who left for Los Angeles with four colleagues on May 27 to participate in a jewelry exhibition in Las Vegas. They returned to Hong Kong by taking a flight of Cathay Pacific (flight no. CX881) in the morning of June 5. She sat in row 18 of the flight.

The woman had onset of cough and runny nose on June 2. She stayed at home all day on June 6 and consulted a nearby private doctor in the morning of June 7. Accompanied by their mother, her brother drove her to the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital in the evening of the same day. She was admitted for isolation. Her family members and colleagues are asymptomatic.

The second case involved a 28-year-old woman. She and four colleagues traveled to Los Angeles on May 28 to attend the same exhibition participated by the patient of the first case. They returned to Hong Kong by taking a flight of Cathay Pacific (flight no. CX883) in the morning of June 5. She sat in row 60 of the flight.

She developed fever in the morning of June 6 and stayed at home for the whole day. She visited a friend on the next day and attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) later that evening. She was admitted for isolation. Her home contact is asymptomatic.

The third case involved a 19-year-old man studying in the same institute in Switzerland which was attended by another confirmed patient reported on June 6. He returned to Hong Kong from Zurich by taking a flight of Swiss International Air Lines (flight no. LX138) on June 7. He sat in row 23 and wore a face mask during the journey.

He declared to have fever at the airport and was referred to Princess Margaret Hospital for isolation.

The Department of Health is now tracing passengers sitting in rows 17-19 of CX881 arrived in Hong Kong on June 5, and those sitting in rows 23-26 of LX138 on June 7, and crew members who had served the affected section as well as other close contacts of the patients.

The spokesman also said the second patient had onset of symptoms more than 12 hours after arriving in Hong Kong, and the Center for Health Protection would not trace the passengers of the flight concerned.

Investigations into the three cases are ongoing.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2009)