Macao's Health Bureau (SSM) on Monday announced that two cases of influenza A/H1N1 were confirmed, bringing the total number of Macao's confirmed cases to five after the first one was reported on June 18.

The two new cases were confirmed early on Monday, both of which were imported, according to the SSM. The first one involves a female graduating student of the University of Macao (UM), who traveled to Thailand between June 15 and 19, and she went to a local hospital after falling sick on Sunday. The second patient is a 61-year-old Philippine woman who worked as a security guard at the Macao International Airport, and she has been to Philippine recently.

The girl's mother has already been quarantined, and, since the girl has participated in her faculty's graduation party, the authorities have asked students who were present to stay in their residences. As for the Philippine woman, the SSM said that they have located three persons who had close contact with the patient and was still looking for other colleagues of her.

Given all of Macao's five confirmed cases were imported, local flu alert stayed at level five, its second highest, the SSM said in a previous statement.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2009)