On February 5, 2016, officials from the China Health and Family Planning Commission confirmed 28 new H7N9 influenza infections in China. Among the newly confirmed cases, 3 were reported in Fujian Province and they are thefirst cases confirmed in the province since fall last year. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) thus raised the travel notice level for Fujian Provinceto Level 2: Alert for avian influenza on the same day. As the Chinese New Yearholiday is fast approaching, travelers planning to visit affected areas are urged to take precautions, including practice good personal hygiene, as well asavoid direct contact with poultry and visiting live poultry markets to ward off infection.

The 3 newly confirmed cases in Fujian Province include 2 females and 1 male. They are aged between 50 and 65. All had a history of livepoultry exposure. One of them died, one is currently in critical condition, and one has experienced milder symptoms. 90% of the 28 newly confirmed H7N9 influenza infections, including 5 deaths, in China had a history of livepoultry exposure. During the same period last year, 83 cases were confirmed in China. 12 of the newly confirmed cases were previously known. The remaining 16 cases include 9 in Zhejiang Province, 4 in Jiangsu Province, and 3 in Fujian Province.

Since October 1, 2015, a cumulative total of 48 H7N9 influenzainfections, including 24 cases in Zhejiang Province, 6 cases in GuangdongProvince, 5 cases in Hunan Province, 7 cases in Jiangsu Province, 3 cases in Fujian Province, 2 cases in Shanghai City, and 1 case in Jiangxi Province, have been confirmed in China. The majority of them are aged over 50 and had a history of live poultry exposure. Since March 31, 2013, a cumulative total of 725 H7N9 influenza infections, including 277 deaths announced by WHO on January 26, 2016, have been confirmed in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada, and Malaysia.

Currently, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alertfor avian influenza to Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Anhui Province, Hunan Province, Jiangxi Province, Jiangsu Province, Shanghai City, Sichuan Province, and Fujian 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 handswith soap and water frequently and putting on a mask when coughing and take preventive measures such as avoiding direct contact with poultry and birds ortheir 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 officerat 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 athttp://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).