On January 3, 2017, officials from the China Health and Family Planning Commission confirmed this fall’s first case of H7N9 influenza infection in Guizhou Province, China. Due to the potential risk of H7N9 transmission in Guizhou Province, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) thus raised the travel notice level for the province to Level 2: Alert for avian influenza on the same day. Most avian influenza infections occur in China during November through May. According to the report released by the China Health and Family Planning Commission, some areas have reported more rapidly escalating outbreaks this year compared to the same period in the past years. Travelers planning to visit affected areas in China are urged to heighten their vigilance for avian influenza, practice good personal hygiene, avoid contact with poultry and birds and visiting live poultry markets, and consume only thoroughly cooked poultry and eggs in order to ward off infection.

The case is a 49-year-old resident in Sandu County, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province who runs a poultry business. On December 25, 2016, the case developed symptoms. On December 27, the case sought medical attention. On December 29, he was treated in isolation. As of now, the case is still hospitalized for treatment and none of the close contacts has developed symptoms. Since October 1, 2016, a cumulative total of 22 H7N9 influenza infections have been confirmed in China, including Jiangsu Province, Anhui Province, Fujian Province, Shanghai City, Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Hunan Province, Jiangxi Province, Guizhou Province, Macau and Hong Kong. Since March 31, 2013, a cumulative total of 820 H7N9 influenza infections, including 322 deaths announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 19, 2016, have been confirmed in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Canada, and Malaysia.

Currently, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for human infections with novel influenza A viruses to Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Anhui Province, Hunan Province, Shanghai City, Jiangxi Province, Jiangsu Province, Sichuan Province, Fujian Province, Shandong Province, Hubei Province, Hebei Province, Beijing City, Tianjin City, Liaoning Province, Henan Province, Yunnan Province, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Guizhou Province, and a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for avian influenza to the other provinces and cities in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau.　　

Taiwan CDC advises travelers visiting China to practice good personal hygiene such as washing hands with soap and water frequently and putting on a mask when coughing and take preventive measures such as avoiding direct contact with poultry and birds or their droppings/dead bodies, and consuming only thoroughly cooked poultry and eggs to ward off avian influenza infection. If influenza-like illness symptoms develop upon arriving in Taiwan, please voluntarily notify the airline crew and the quarantine officer at the quarantine station in the airport. If the aforementioned 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 and exposure history to facilitate diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).