China on Sunday confirmed its sixth case of A/H1N1 -- a 23-year-old male student who arrived in Hong Kong from the United States on Saturday.

Also yesterday, the first A/H1N1 flu patient in the Chinese mainland was discharged from hospital at 4: 00 PM in southwestern Sichuan Province.

As of yesterday, the province had lifted the quarantine for all the 166 people who had been exposed to the patient surnamed Bao, said Shen Ji, director of the provincial health department.

The 30-year-old student, who also returned to China from a US university, started experiencing symptoms of fever, sore throat and cough after arriving in Chengdu, Sichuan's capital. He was confirmed as A/H1N1 flu patient on May 11.

Another flu patient, surnamed Lu, is recovering in the Infectious Disease Hospital in Jinan City, in east China's Shandong Province.

"We are preparing to discharge Lu as he shows no more flu symptoms," said Chen shijun, the hospital's president. "If he shows no symptoms for three days and is tested negative for A/H1N1, he will be discharged."

China has reported three confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu in the mainland, with the latest one in Beijing late on Saturday.

The 18-year-old female patient surnamed Liu, also a returned Chinese student from the US, was in a stable condition with a normal body temperature, Beijing health authorities said.

"There is nothing to fear," Liu said in a telephone interview. "It's just a new flu, a not-so-terrible one."

Liu only had contact with her mother and a taxi driver who carried her to the Peking University Hospital. Neither had shown flu symptoms, Beijing Health Bureau said.

Fang Laiying, the bureau director, expressed appreciation to Liu for avoiding meeting people and keeping a clear diary about her journey.

"She even kept the receipt from the taxi driver, otherwise it would be difficult for us to find that person," Fang said.

Liu had been to New Jersey in the US, but had no contact with any flu patients or pigs. Fellow passengers and the crew on her flight, Continental Airlines C089, were all fine.

Premier Wen Jiabao visited her in Beijing's Ditan Hospital yesterday and spoke to her via a video link.

Wen said overseas students in epidemic areas should learn more to protect themselves from the flu and understand the preventive and control measures China has taken.

He urged medical staff to enhance self-protection and prevent hospital infection and the spread of the disease.

Wen said that judging from the current situation, China's A/H1N1 flu prevention and control measures were effective and well organized.

"With the spreading of the flu in some countries, we should not lower our guard against it," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2009)