Seven more suspected cases of H7N9 avian influenza were reported in Taiwan as of yesterday morning, of which three were detected at an airport and later given the all-clear, while four were detected at hospitals, with three still waiting for test results, the Central Epidemic Command Center said.
Three passengers arriving from China’s H7N9-affected areas showed influenza-like symptoms, but were later found not to have the H7N9 infection, the center said.
Of the four people others displayed influenza-like symptoms, one tested negative for the H7N9 bird flu virus, while results for the others were still being processed.
Photo: CNA
To date, 27 suspected cases have been reported in Taiwan and none, except the three unconfirmed cases, have tested positive for the H7N9 virus, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said.
Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) quoted President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) as saying that the government had put in place the necessary epidemic prevention measures and urged the public to remain calm, but vigilant.
“The H7N9 avian influenza strain poses a health threat to the public and President Ma is gravely concerned about the outbreak [in China]. The president has instructed the Executive Yuan to pay close attention to developments and is scheduled to personally inspect the Central Epidemic Command Center,” Lee said.
Lee said that the H7N9 outbreak was discussed during a meeting between Ma, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday morning.
In the face of the threat posed by the H7N9 bird flu virus, the Department of Health has implemented necessary prevention measures and designated the virus as a category 5 notifiable disease, Lee quoted Ma as saying, adding that the president believed that these measures were enough to reassure the public.
“Outbreaks of SARS and bird flu have in the past severely impacted the nation, but the government will draw on the experiences learned from those painful incidents in confronting H7N9,” Lee quoted Ma as saying.
“The government will fight off the disease as it would our enemies and will be on full alert,” she quoted Ma as saying.
Later yesterday, the command center reminded travelers going to China to avoid any contact with poultry and to ensure that chickens, ducks and geese (eggs included) are thoroughly cooked before consumption.
Apart from maintaining personal hygiene, if travelers to China display influenza-like symptoms, they should notify the relevant airline company and disease inspection staff at the point of entry, the command center said.
Tour guides and escorts are obligated by the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法) and Regulations Governing Quarantine at Ports (港埠檢疫規則) to report to the health authorities if tour members develop influenza-like symptoms while traveling, the command center said.
A list with all the tour members’ names, contact information and the accommodation schedule should also be provided to help health authorities’ track the disease, the command center said.
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
One person was killed and another seven injured today when a tourist shuttle bus plunged 30m to 40m down a ravine in Nantou County, the Tourism Administration said. The bus is suspected to have suddenly accelerated out of control near the flower center of the Sun-Link-Sea Forest Recreation Area, a popular attraction during cherry blossom season. Of the eight onboard, a 66-year-old man was killed, four were seriously injured and three sustained minor injuries, including the driver. The Nantou County Police Department said it received a report of the incident at 12:15pm and dispatched seven teams to assist. All surviving passengers have been transferred
RSS