The second confirmed case of A/ H1N1 flu has been detected in Sri Lanka,the island's health officials said Wednesday.

A senior official from the Epidemiologi Unit of the Ministry of Health said the patient is a cousin of the 8-year-old boy confirmed carrying the A/H1N1 virus on Tuesday.

Both patients are Australian citizens and they had arrived in the country from Australia on Sunday to attend a family function with their parents. They are now being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) at Angoda, a north Colombo suburb.

The sister of the 8-year-old boy had been detected as a suspected case in Singapore when they arrived at the airport for transit on their way to Colombo. She was later identified as a confirmed case by the Singapore health authorities.

The Sri Lankan government said measures have been taken to isolate immediate contacts who presented with symptoms in the IDH for laboratory diagnosis and management.

List of most of the passengers who arrived in the flight from Singapore to Colombo have been obtained and action has been initiated to quarantine them, health officials said.

The Sri Lankan government has already initiated a surveillance program at the main entry point to the country, the Bandaranaike International Airport to detect possible cases of the disease coming to the country.

All arriving passengers are screened by thermal scanners installed before the immigration desk and those detected with high fever are directed to the health desk by public health inspectors attached to this point.

The government also said 20 hospitals had been identified as sentinel hospitals for pandemic influenza preparedness.

Clinical case management capacity in these hospitals had been strengthened by establishing/upgrading isolation units, supply of antiviral drug stocks, among others.