On December 27, 2014, Hong Kong’s Department of Health confirmed one new H7N9 influenza infection in a 68-year-old female. The case sought medical attention after developing fever and pneumonia. Currently, the case is hospitalized in critical condition. As the case had visited Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China prior to her illness onset, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) decided to not raise the travel notice level for Hong Kong and will continue to closely monitor the Hong Kong’s case and the outbreak situation.

Since October 1, 2014, a cumulative total of 19 H7N9 influenza infections have been confirmed in China, including 6 in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, 3 in Jiangsu Province, 2 in Guangdong Province, 1 in Beijing City, Fujian Province, Shanghai City, and Hong Kong, respectively. In light of recent H7N9 cases that occurred in China, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for avian influenza to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Fujian Province, and Shanghai City, and a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for avian influenza to the other provinces and cities in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau. Since March 31, 2013, a cumulative total of 469 H7N9 influenza infections, including 182 deaths, announced by WHO on December 18, 2014 have been confirmed in China (454), Hong Kong (10), Taiwan (4), and Malaysia (1).

Taiwan CDC once again urges travelers visiting China to practice good personal hygiene such as washing hands 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. 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 above-mentioned 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).