The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said the first human case of avian influenza A (H7N9) infection was confirmed in Tibet, while the number of H7N9 cases in people in China this season is the highest in five years.
The first human H7N9 case was confirmed by the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Health and Family Planning Commission on Friday, the CDC said, adding that it has raised the travel warning level for Tibet to “Alert.”
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said that according to data released by Chinese government, a 41-year-old man who works in the live poultry trade was being treated in an isolation room at a hospital after showing symptoms after arriving from Sichuan Province in February.
Liu said that 581 cases of human infection with H7N9 have been reported in China since October last year, the highest number in five years.
The cases were reported in 22 provinces or cities, which also set a record for the most areas with H7N9 reported in a flu season, Liu said, adding that 138 cases were reported in Jiangsu Province, 84 in Zhejiang Province, 61 in Guangdong Province, and 55 in Anhui Province.
“It seems like the bird flu outbreak is more active this season, causing increased risk of human infection, as the cases are not limited to specific provinces any more, but have spread to areas that had never reported cases before,” CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
Lo said that the new cases of human infection in China dropped significantly in February, but considering data from previous years, the centers estimates that there will still be newly reported cases through next month.
Lo said people in China or planning to visit China should remain vigilant and stay away from birds and poultry, avoid eating eggs or poultry that are not cooked thoroughly, frequently wash their hands with soap, refrain from going to crowded places and wear a facial mask and seek medical attention if flu-like symptoms occur.
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