125 influenza monitoring hospitals above the second tier throughout Beijing Municipality will strengthen the monitoring on the influenza-like cases, and Beijing Health Bureau has designated Ditan Hospital and You'an Hospital, two infectious disease hospitals, as the regular hospitals to accept human-infected influenza A(H1N1) cases.

According to Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the professional teams of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Endemic Disease Control of the Center has earnestly analyzed the risks faced by Beijing Municipality, and come up with the comprehensive control and prevention strategy, including strengthening the diagnosis, reporting and epidemic treatment work on the imported cases and prioritizing the control over the sources of infection to respond to the possible imported influenza A(H1N1) epidemic.

Investigate Each Influenza-like Case

In the afternoon of April 27, 2009, Beijing Health Bureau issued an urgent notice to the medical institutions across the municipality, requiring the medical institutions conduct the epidemiological investigation on every influenza-like case. If a patient has such cold-influenza symptoms like sniveling, pyrexia and cough when seeing a doctor, the main doctor shall investigate three issues - whether the patient has been to America or Mexico one week before the pyrexia; whether the patient has contacted the guests from America and Mexico one week before the incidence; and whether the patient has contacted pigs or pig raisers.

Follow Up Each Inbound Suspected Case

Beijing Health Bureau, Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau and Beijing Agricultural Bureau have established the cooperation mechanism. As of the very day, Beijing Health Bureau will build the daily information reporting system with Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to conduct the follow-up investigation on the inbound suspected case at the first time. At the same time, Beijing Health Bureau and Beijing Agricultural Bureau have also established the notification system to report the suspected cases with the contact with pigs every day.

No Suspected Case Found in Beijing

To date, no influenza A(H1N1) case, including the suspected case, has been found in Beijing. However, the control and prevention measures must be strengthened, since the influenza A(H1N1) cases have a 7-day latent period. The Director of Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention explains that the influenza A(H1N1) symptoms are very similar to those of the human influenza, and the quick diagnosis method for the influenza A(H1N1) cases has not been developed so far. So, the prevention and control measures Beijing Municipality has taken focus on separation and control. The suspected influenza A(H1N1) cases will be treated in separation. The separate therapy shall last at least 7 days.

Ditan Hospital & You'an Hospital Designated as Receiving Hospitals

To prevent potential epidemic, Beijing Municipality is now actively reserving the human drugs and emergency materials to fight the influenza A(H1N1) virus. The Director of Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that Beijing Health Bureau has designated Ditan Hospital & You'an Hospital as the regular hospitals to treat the human-infected influenza A(H1N1) cases. In addition, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has been appointed to treat imported foreign cases as a regular hospital.

April 29, 2009