Hong Kong reported its second human case of H7N9 bird flu just days after the first, raising fears that the virus is spreading beyond mainland China.
Hong Kong’s Health Department said late on Friday that an 80-year-old man being treated for a chronic illness in the hospital was found to have the bird flu strain.
Authorities in the Asian financial and transport hub have been monitoring H7N9 closely since it was first identified in April.
H7N9 has sickened about 140 people and killed 45, almost all of them in China. Taiwan has had one case.
Health officials said that the second patient lived in Shenzhen, a Chinese city across the border from Hong Kong, and sought treatment at a hospital. Authorities were looking for people who may have been in contact with him, including relatives and the taxi driver who brought him to the hospital.
Officials have stepped up border checks and raised the alert level after the first case, an Indonesian maid, was reported on Monday.
In Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday that the second confirmed case of H7N9 infection reported in Hong Kong has raised concern about the spread of the disease to the south.
Hong Kong’s latest patient, similar to the first reported on Dec. 2, based on existing epidemiological data, is believed to have acquired the virus in China’s Guangdong Province, the center said. Therefore, Zhejiang and Guangdong remain the two provinces in China for which level-two travel health alerts has been issued, while other provinces (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) remain on the first-level “watch,” the center said.
The center said that with Hong Kong reporting its second case of H7N9 infection, it is possible the disease has spread south.
Customs and border inspections targeting those returning from China are ongoing, the center said. Those who have a fever and have traveled to China within 14 days, particularly people who had contact with local poultry, are to be accompanied by the inspection officials to hospitals for tests.
The center said the Council of Agriculture has also formulated procedural guidelines for handling the possible discovery in domestic poultry farms of H7N9 bird flu virus showing a close relationship with that in China.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned