Confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu surge to 23 in Florida

Special Report:World tackles A/H1N1 flu

HOUSTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases in the southern U.S. state of Florida has surged from 2 to 23 in the past week as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enabled states to test their own samples, clearing backlogs, a local health official said on Friday.

Last Friday, Governor Charlie Crist announced a 17-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy as the first two confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, in the state.

Nationwide, the number of sick nearly doubled from Thursday to Friday, reaching 1,639, in 43 states. The Florida Department of Health said new test kits from the CDC were being used at its four state labs, which are in Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Pensacola.

Tim O'Connor, health department spokesman, said that positive cases were confirmed in 11 counties, including Broward, Indian River and Okeechobee. While Palm Beach County wasn't among those with confirmed A/H1N1 influenza cases, it had one probable case, he said, adding that individual has been treated and has already recovered.

The A/H1N1 flu strain is different to seasonal flu in key ways, the CDC reported in Friday's edition of its scientific journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

It's hitting young people hardest, rather than the very old and very young who are typically cut down by seasonal flu, the report said, adding that it's rising during what's typically the off season for flu.

In Mexico and the United States, the percentage of patients requiring hospitalization has been particularly high among persons aged 30-44 years, the journal editors wrote.

Local health officials said that Florida's flu cases mirror the national data -- the young, especially teenagers, have been hardest hit.

Broward County's 5 confirmed positive cases were between the ages of 3 and 26, while Indian River's case was in a 15-year-old, and Okeechobee's was in a 27-year-old, they explained.

Old-style traffic in Beijing

Beijing is an ancient dynastic capital where tradition and modernity merge. This can be seen in many aspects of the city, such as the co-existence of ancient buildings and recently built high-rises, modern roads and quiet alleys known as hutongs. Every day, people in Beijing pass between the past and present.

Commuters in the capital can take the subway or the bus. And there are also some quite unique ways to get around.

The Tricycle

In this world of mind-boggling changes, the tricycle is no longer viable as an effective means of transport. In the middle of a modern concrete jungle, traces of a former way of life have mostly disappeared.

Inthisworldofmind-bogglingchanges,thetricycleisnolongerviable
as aneffectivemeansoftransport.

But in the hutongs of Shichahai in downtown Beijing, tricycles are a common sight. They carry tourists through the narrow lanes, where people still live in traditional housing. Most of the tricycles are run by local tourist agencies. As the drivers pedal along, they often chat with their customers, telling them stories of people who have lived here over the centuries.

These tricycles are very popular with tourists visiting Beijing.

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