Macao reported eight newly confirmed cases of Influenza A/H1N1 on Tuesday alone, bringing the total number of such cases to 28 so far.

Five of the newly confirmed cases were found in a local creche, as five three-year-old children, one boy and four girls, tested positive for the influenza A/H1N1 virus in the past 24 hours, according to Macao's Health Bureau.

The boy firstly showed flu symptoms on June 25, and other children fell sick between June 28 and 30.

The Bureau said that all of these young patients did not travel abroad recently, as a result, these five cases were categorized as locally infected. The Bureau also said that it has already checked the health conditions of other children in the same class with the young patients and provided them with anti-virus medicines for prevention purpose.

Meanwhile, two women who are the mothers of two of the five young patients also tested positive for the virus, according to the Bureau.

In addition to the seven locally infected cases, an imported case was also reported in the same day, which concerned a 12-year-old local boy who traveled to neighboring Hong Kong between June 15 and 23, and showed flu symptoms on June 24. The Bureau said it was tracking down persons who had close contacts with the patient, including those who went to the same school and church with him, and some of his family members.

As the first collective infection of the influenza A/H1N1 was recorded in Macao, the spreading of the virus has reached deep into local communities, said the Bureau, which has ordered the creche in question to suspend classes and carry out sterilization.

Macao has already raised its pandemic alert level to the highest phase six. By far, five of the 28 patients have already recovered and another 92 persons who had close contacts with the patients were put under medical observation at their own residences.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2009)