China Bird Flu: Taiwan Issues Travel Alert as Virus Enters Country

The government of Taiwan has advised would-be travelers to China to take extra precautionary measures when visiting the country after one of its residents have contacted the new avian influenza virus H7N9.

Taiwan listed five Chinese provinces and two metropolitan areas in the Level-2 travel advisory it issued, including the provinces of Jiangsu, Henan, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shandong, as well as Shanghai and Beijing.

"We referred to the three-level travel advisory system used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when deciding to issue a Level-2 advisory for the seven destinations," Chang Feng-yee, Head of the Central Epidemic Command Center, was quoted by the China Post.

The system has three level advisory types:

Level 1 - urges travelers bound for listed destinations to exercise vigilance and take health precautions
Level 2 - urges travelers to maintain a high degree of caution and take strengthened protective measures, especially when visiting high-risk places
Level 3 - discourages travel to listed destinations

On Wednesday, Taiwan confirmed a 53-year-old Taiwanese man had tested positive of the new avian influenza virus H7N9 after returning from a business trip from China. He had specifically went to the eastern city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and then returned to Taiwan via Shanghai.

"As all seven of the listed destinations have reported confirmed H7N9 cases, local people planning to travel there should pay close attention to their personal health and hygiene," Mr Chang, who is also director-general of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under the Department of Health, said.

The patient, who fell ill on April 12 with symptoms of fever, sweating and fatigue after visiting Suzhou from March 28 to April 9, was in "serious but stable" condition, following treatment. He, however, initially did not show respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and a runny nose.

As of April 24, China reported 23 have died due to the new avian influenza virus H7N9 and 108 confirmed cases, according to a news update posted on the CDC Web site.

Despite the increasing numbers which happened in three weeks' time, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had not recommended the mass production of vaccines.

"Over the past three weeks some potential vaccines have been developed. They are being developed just in case. Right now, there is no recommendation to go ahead and produce vaccines against this virus," Nancy Cox, director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Surveillance in Atlanta, said on Wednesday.

"We know very little about immunity against this virus and how this virus causes diseases. We are planning to develop vaccines against it. But my personal experience tells me it will be difficult and will take a long time to succeed," Yang Weizhong, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said.

The two are part of a team of experts who were invited by China's National Health and Family Planning Commission to conduct a joint assessment of the virus with their counterparts in Beijing and Shanghai.

The group however admitted the new avian influenza virus H7N9 "is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses we have seen so far."