China on Saturday reported three new influenza A/H1N1 cases, bringing to 24 the total number of confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland.

The one in the southeastern province of Fujian involves a local who studied in Canada. The other two in Beijing involve a Chinese American and a Chinese student who studied in the United States.

Doctors confirmed the 23-year-old man in Fujian positive for A/H1N1 flu after assessing his symptoms and laboratory testing results on Saturday afternoon.

The man is receiving medical treatment as his temperature is now 38.5 degrees Celsius, doctors said.

The man left Toronto Tuesday and arrived in Shanghai at 3:35 PM on Wednesday on Air Canada flight AC087. He stayed at a hotel in Shanghai Wednesday night. He left for Xiamen, Fujian, on Xiamen Airlines flight MFA 8502 on Thursday morning. Then he took a car with his relatives to go back home in Dehua County of Quanzhou City in the province.

On Friday morning, the man developed headache and a sore throat and went to a local hospital.

On Friday night, he was tested positive for A/H1N1 flu by the municipal Center of Disease Control and Prevention of Quanzhou. The provincial Center of Disease Control and Prevention reexamined on Saturday morning the results which was also positive.

All the cases but one on the mainland were found shortly after they came from countries hard hit by the A/H1N1 flu epidemic. Seven were in Beijing, four in Shanghai, six in Guangdong, three in Fujian, and one in Sichuan, Shandong, Zhejiang and Hunan, respectively.

Eight cases have been discharged from hospital by Saturday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2009)