China has first domestic H1N1 infection

GUANGZHOU, China, May 29 (UPI) -- A Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention official said Friday his country has confirmed its first mainland case of domestic infection of swine flu.

CDC chief epidemiologist Zeng Guang said the confirmed domestic infection case in China's Guangdong Province has resulted in a call for increased control and prevention efforts regarding the spread of the potentially deadly influenza strain.

Zeng told China's official state-run Xinhua news agency if the threat of a swine flu outbreak increases, such preventative measures could include closing entertainment venues and schools in China.

But the CDC official insisted the domestic infection case involving a 24-year-old female should not prompt panic among the general public. Zeng said China has made preparations to help prevent and treat swine flu.

Xinhua said the woman at the center of the new H1N1 case is thought to have contracted the influenza strain from a 28-year-old Chinese-American man from New York. Both individuals, who were not identified, are said to be in stable condition after being confirmed as H1N1 patients.