A 53-year-old Taiwanese man who had worked in China’s Jiangsu Province has tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus, the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday.
The man, who is now in serious condition, is receiving treatment, including intubation, in a negative-pressure quarantine ward, the center said.
It marked the first confirmed human infection of the new bird flu strain in Taiwan and also the first confirmed H7N9 case outside of China, the center said.
Photo: David Chang, EPA
The infection source of the first imported H7N9 case remained unknown, because he neither came into contact with poultry or other birds during his stay in Jiangsu, nor had he eaten raw or undercooked eggs or poultry while there, the center said.
The patient fell ill three days after his return from China, the center said.
According to the center, 139 people are known to have come into contact with him. Three of them had close contact, 26 had contact more than seven days ago (putting them past the infectious period) and 110 are hospital personnel, it said.
Three of the hospital personnel, who had taken proper protective measures when providing medical care for the patient, have developed respiratory symptoms, the center said.
The center added that all those who have had contact with the patient have been notified and told to take care of their health.
They will be subject to close monitoring until the infectious period expires, the center said, adding that public health officials will help people on the watch list get medical treatment should they develop flu-like symptoms, such as fever or coughing.
According to the center, the patient is a hepatitis B carrier and also suffers from hypertension, adding that his H7N9 infection was confirmed yesterday.
The center said it had informed the WHO and China of the case earlier in the day.
China reported the world’s first confirmed human infections of H7N9 on March 31, and as of Tuesday, 108 cases had been confirmed in China, with 22 deaths.
The CDC said there is still no evidence that the H7N9 virus has mutated into a form that will allow sustained person-to-person transmissions.
Later yesterday evening, the Taipei City Government launched its emergency response mechanism to provide information to the public. It also opened an avian flu hotline on (02) 2375-3782 to answer questions from those who have concerns about the flu.
Taipei City’ Department of Health Chief Secretary Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) said that people with questions can also call the 1999 Citizen Hotline and that department members would assist the hotline staff with inquiries about the flu, and seek to reduce public panic over the first case of H7N9.
Head of the department Lin Chi-hung (林奇宏) yesterday declined to confirm whether the first H7N9 case was in Taipei, but said the department will inspect the facilities of the city’s designated avian flu response hospital, Taipei Hoping Hospital, and another 16 hospitals that are equipped with quarantine rooms to prevent a potential outbreak.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS