The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday put 37 more people on a monitoring list as the number of poultry farms reporting cases of avian influenza continued to increase, bringing the total number of people being monitored due to an avian flu outbreak to a record-high of 271.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday afternoon that the additional 37 people were workers at three goose farms in Chiayi County, which were confirmed on Monday to have been infected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N8.
The other 234 people on the list are epidemic prevention personnel and poultry farm workers at seven farms in southern Taiwan that have been stricken by avian influenza subtypes H5N2 and H5N8.
“Of the 271 people on the health watch list, eight have exhibited flu-like symptoms. The centers has diagnosed one of them with influenza B and collected samples from three more for testing, while two are still waiting to be sampled and two have only been ordered to self-monitor their health since their symptoms are relatively mild,” Chuang said.
The centers will make public the test results as soon as they become available, Chuang added.
The outbreak has seen the greatest number of people on a monitoring list in response to a bird flu outbreak in the nation, Chuang said. An H5N2 bird-flu outbreak in 2012 led to just over 100 people being monitored.
CDC physician Philip Yi-chun Lo (羅一鈞) said while most people were aware of the importance of avoiding raw or undercooked poultry and eggs during an avian influenza outbreak, they often forget that raw eggs are an ingredient in some desserts, such as mousse, mayonnaise and tiramisu.
“In addition, Taiwanese commonly use a mixture of raw eggs and satay sauce with hot pot meals, which could also expose them to avian influenza,” Lo said.
Meanwhile, Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ding-ping (劉定萍) said the number of people seeking outpatient services for influenza-like illnesses rose to 77,000 last week from 67,000 a week earlier.
“About 11.8 percent tested positive for flu, with most being infected with the H3N2 influenza strain,” Liu said, adding that a total of 14 have died of complications arising from influenza since Aug. 1 last year.
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