At the time of writing, officials from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) have confirmed a total of 130 cases of human infections with the avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, including 36 deaths, have occurred in Shanghai (33, including 14 deaths), Jiangsu Province(27, including 8 deaths), Zhejiang Province (46, including 8 deaths), Anhui Province (4, including 2 deaths), Beijing (1), Henan Province (4, including 1 death), Shandong Province (2), Jiangxi Province (6, including 1 death), Fujian Province (5), Hunan Province (2, including 1 death), and another death in a confirmed case, but the location of occurrence is to be confirmed.

Between 8am on May 15 and 8am on May 16, 2013, Taiwan CDC received reports of 4 suspected cases. All of them were reported by the healthcare provider.  As of now, the possibility of H7N9 infection in all four classes has been ruled out (1 was tested positive for H3N2 and the rest were negative for influenza viruses).

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) for H7N9 influenza once again reminds the public that the ban on slaughtering of live poultry at traditional wet markets begins May 17, 2013 and urges all poultry vendors and the public to support and cooperate government policies to ward off the threat posed by H7N9 influenza. According to the Animal Industry Act, failures to comply with the ban may be fined NT$ 20,000 up to NT$ 100,000. Repeat offenders will be dealt with by the court. According to Article 70 of the Communicable Disease Control Act, anyone who refuses, evades or obstructs disease control measures may be fined NT$ 3,000 up to NT$ 15,000. In addition, local joint enforcement task forces have been set up by local governments to conduct proactive inspections on a daily basis. An offense reporting hotline has also been established to allow the public to report the offense.

CECC once again urges travelers visiting areas affected by H7N9 influenza in China to practice good personal hygiene such as washing hands frequently and putting on a mask, take preventive measures such as avoiding direct contact with poultry and birds or their droppings, avoiding visiting traditional markets with live poultry, consuming only thoroughly cooked poultry and eggs.  If symptoms such as fever and cough develop after returning to Taiwan, please put on a surgical mask and seek immediate medical attention.  Moreover, please inform the physician of the recent travel history to facilitate diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922 if calling from a cell phone, or visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.