Woman from Manila tests positive for A(H1N1) in Taiwan

MANILA, Philippines - One of the three new confirmed cases of A (H1N1) in Taiwan came from Manila, Taiwanese media reported said Saturday. Citing a report of Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday, the Taipei Times said the 30-year-old woman who had tested positive for the virus also known as swine flu was in Manila from May 16 to May 20. In addition, the CDC found that the woman’s daughter had also tested positive for the virus, said the report. “She [the woman] felt unwell while in Manila and went to a clinic on Thursday after she developed a fever. Her daughter was also screened after she developed a fever," CDC spokesman Shih Wen-yi was quoted as saying The three new cases has raised to six the total number of confirmed cases in Taiwan. There was no mention, however, of the nationality of the mother and her daughter. But according to the Taipei Times, daughter attends the Guangfu Elementary School in Chungho, Taipei County – which will be closed down until Friday since one of its students has tested positive for the virus. Shih said that all staff and students of the school will be required to take medication. According to the report, the woman did not have a fever when she returned to Taiwan on Wednesday, ensuring her smooth entry to Taiwan through the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Later in the day, the woman then visited a friend and had dinner with her and six other people – all of whom have been advised to also take medication. The third new case in Taiwan, meanwhile, is a female student who is the sister of a woman the CDC had earlier confirmed as being infected by the virus. The two sisters reportedly returned from San Francisco on Thursday on board an EVA Airways flight. Taiwan’s first confirmed case is an Australian doctor who came from New York via Hong Kong on Monday. The second case, on the other hand, is a Taiwanese female student who returned to Taiwan from New York via Hong Kong on Wednesday. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, therefore, urged its students overseas with flu symptoms to seek immediate treatment. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV