The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (March 9) received notification of 19 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) with the onset dates in the past five weeks prior to February 25 from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The patients comprise 13 males and six females aged from 3 to 76. Three of them (one man and two women) died and two (one man and one woman) were in critical condition. Eleven cases are from Zhejiang, three are from Jiangsu, two are from Hunan, one is from Fujian, one is from Guizhou and one is from Jiangxi.

To date, 618 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been reported by the Mainland health authorities in Guangdong (181 cases), Zhejiang (167 cases), Jiangsu (73 cases), Fujian (59 cases), Shanghai (45 cases), Hunan (26 cases), Anhui (24 cases), Xinjiang (10 cases), Jiangxi (10 cases), Shandong (six cases), Beijing (five cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou (two cases) and Hebei (one case).