The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today closely monitoring 16 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) notified by the Mainland health authorities, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

Influenza A (H7N9) virus/CDC
Influenza A (H7N9) virus/CDC

According to the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, the two cases from Dongguan include a female patient aged 52 and a male patient aged 37 who were hospitalized for treatment in critical and serious conditions respectively.

The remaining 14 cases (including three deaths) in Fujian (five cases), Jiangsu (four cases), Zhejiang (four cases) and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) (one case) were notified by the National Health and Family Planning Commission. The patients include seven men and seven women aged 20 to 83. Apart from the three deaths, the other 11 patients were in critical condition.

To date, 478 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been reported by the Mainland health authorities, respectively in Zhejiang (145 cases), Guangdong (121 cases), Jiangsu (63 cases), Shanghai (42 cases), Fujian (28 cases), Hunan (24 cases), Anhui (17 cases), Xinjiang (nine cases), Jiangxi (eight cases), Beijing (five cases), Shandong (five cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou (one case) and Hebei (one case).