Between 8:00am on May 9 and 8:00am on May 10, 2013, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) confirmed yet another fatal case of H7N9 in Henan Province. The total number of confirmed cases of H7N9 infections has now reached 130, including 33 cases in Shanghai, 27 in Jiangsu Province, 46 in Zhejiang Province, 4 in Anhui Province, 4 in Henan Province, 1 in Beijing, 2 in Shandong Province, 6 in Jiangxi, 5 in Fujian, and 2 confirmed cases of H7N9 in Hunan. Out of the 130, 33 have died, including 13 in Shanghai, 8 in Jiangsu Province, 8 in Zhejiang Province, 2 in Anhui Province, 1 in Jiangxi Province and 1 in Henan Province. Most of the recent H7N9 influenza cases have been reported in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, Beijing, Shandong, Jiangxi, Fujian and Hunan provinces in Mainland China.        
Between 8:00am on May 9 and 8:00am on May 10, 2013, Taiwan CDC received information of five suspected cases of H7N9 influenza from healthcare providers. All five cases were later tested negative for H7N9 influenza virus.
CECC warned that at traditional markets where vendors directly slaughter and sell poultry, both vendors and consumers are put at risk of coming in contact with birds infected with the H7N9 influenza  virus. Through the slaughtering, defeathering, or selling process, people may contract the virus by inhaling infected particles or coming in contact with contaminated objects and surfaces. Therefore, to protect the health and wellbeing of vendors and the general public, the slaughtering and selling of live poultry is now prohibited at traditional markets – a necessary measure in the fight against the H7N9 influenza epidemic. In the run-up to the effective date, May 17, 2013, of the new policy banning the slaughtering and selling of live poultry at traditional markets, CECC invited experts to speak at the press conference about the issues in hopes that the public will support this new policy and join the government in its prevention efforts.
Dr. Ho Zhong-Ping, a consultant of the Taiwan Poultry Processing Association, attended the “Score with ‘healthy’ chicken” press conference held by CECC and challenged popular notions by raising questions such as “Does freshly-slaughtered chicken taste best?” and “Must new mothers consume freshly-slaughtered chicken during postpartum convalescence?”. Dr. Ho pointed out at the press conference that such myths and old wives’ tales are not only misinformed, but can actually lead to the consumption of harmful bacteria. Freshly-slaughtered poultry not sold immediately or kept at room temperature for an extended period may become a host for a legion of bacteria and lose essential nutrients because of the lack of temperature control. Furthermore, poultry slaughterhouses have in-house veterinarians who specialize in overseeing the health of all its chickens.
Dr. Ho, who is also an assistant professor of Animal Science and Technology at the National Taiwan University, further explained that slaughtering chickens using machines and with appropriate temperature control measures not only retains nutrients within the chicken, but also ensures proper refrigeration. This way, enzymes naturally break down and soften the meat for a more delicious taste.
The Chairman of the Department of Health Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Mr. Huang Lin-Huang, said that he has encountered rumors of moms made to drink chicken soup made from the room-temperature meat of freshly-slaughtered chickens in their postpartum convalescence. Huang warns that this cultural prescription meant to fortify mothers after giving birth is based on a false belief. In fact, when skillfully cooked with Chinese herbs and medicines, chickens slaughtered by mechanical means benefit the postpartum recovery as well as chickens slaughtered by hand.    
In addition, medical health experts, scholars and teachers were also in attendance at the conference to instruct attendees how to use machine-slaughtered chicken to prepare delicious, cold fare to complement summer meals and to show the public that eating machine-slaughtered chicken can not only be delicious, but can also protect consumers from serious health risks. 
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 the latest information regarding the epidemic or other communicable diseases, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website, http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline at 1922 or 0800-001922.