The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) raised its travel alert for China’s Jiangsu Province yesterday, after a woman there was confirmed to have contracted H7N9 avian influenza.
The agency graded the epidemic travel advisory for Jiangsu as “level 2,” which advises travelers to maintain a high degree of caution and take strong protective measures.
Jiangsu is the third Chinese province or city on the CDC’s travel alert list, following Beijing and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said the case in Jiangsu was a 58-year-old woman who had bought a live chicken and had it slaughtered it at a traditional market two weeks before she developed flu-like symptoms.
“The woman is receiving medical treatment, but is in critical condition,” Chou said. “It is the first confirmed case in Jiangsu Province this season.”
Initial H7N9 avian flu symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, sore throat and cough. In some cases, patients develop more serious symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting, the CDC said.
H7N9 avian flu is mainly passed from birds to humans, but limited human-to-human transmission is possible, the CDC said.
All other Chinese cities and provinces are still under a “level 1” advisory for H7N9 infection — except Hong Kong and Macau, which have no travel alerts.
The CDC cautioned people traveling to China to avoid direct contact with birds or poultry, eating uncooked meat and eggs or feeding wild birds. It added that people should wash their hands with soap frequently and to see a doctor immediately if they develop a fever and cough.
Under the CDC’s three-tier warning system, a “level 1” advisory urges vigilance and health precautions when traveling to listed areas, while a “level 3” warning advises against travel to the specified destination.
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