The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 20) received notification from the National Health and Family Planning Commission that 84 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9), including seven deaths, were recorded from January 1 to 15. The CHP strongly urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel, in particular during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays.

The 60 male and 24 female patients aged from 3 to 79 had their onset from December 13, 2016 to January 13, 2017. The cases were from Jiangsu (34 cases), Zhejiang (23 cases), Anhui (14 cases), Fujian (five cases) and four cases each in Hunan and Jiangsu. Among them, 28 reported exposure to poultry or poultry markets while the source of infection of 52 cases was still under investigation.

"Since November 2016, the Mainland health authorities have already recorded 227 human H7N9 cases thus far. We would also like to remind the public that human H7N9 cases continue to occur in neighbouring Guangdong and the positive percentage for H7 virus of environmental samples is substantial. We again urge the public to pay special attention to health risks of the places of visit," a spokesman for the CHP said.