In the nation’s first case of H7N9 avian influenza, diagnosed in a 69-year-old Taiwanese man who returned from China with flu symptoms late last month, the virus has developed mutation and a resistance to antiviral drugs, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
An examination of a sample of the virus, collected from the man who is still in hospital, has similar hemagglutinin-neuraminidase to the newly mutated H7N9 virus found in China.
It is highly pathogenic to birds, but does not show an increased ability to transmit from bird to human, or human to human, the agency said on Monday.
“The mutated virus might be more lethal to birds, so disease prevention must be enhanced to prevent cases being imported from China,” CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday.
“The virus sample was resistant to the antiviral medication oseltamivir [Tamiflu],” he said, adding that the man’s condition is serious and he was moved to a negative pressure isolation room early this month.
Lo said the CDC held a specialists’ meeting on Monday and decided to treat the man using oral favipiravir, an experimental antiviral drug for treating the Ebola virus.
The CDC said that its airport quarantine personnel detected flu symptoms in the man when he arrived on Jan. 25 and suggested he seek medical treatment, which he did on the same day and was referred to a medical center the following day.
There was no delay in reporting or diagnosing the case, the CDC said.
Meanwhile, 141 people who have had direct contact with the man were removed from a health monitoring watchlist on Monday last week, it added.
Lo said five H7N9 avian flu cases in humans have been reported in Taiwan, all of which were imported from China, including three Taiwanese working in China and two Chinese visitors. The first case in 2013 also showed resistance to antiviral treatments, but the patient later recovered and was discharged from hospital.
The CDC has urged people to cook poultry and eggs thoroughly, wash their hands with soap, wear surgical masks, seek medical attention and tell the doctor about their profession or contact with birds if flu symptoms occur.
People working in close proximity to birds should get a flu vaccination, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, the agency said.
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS