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Taiwanese H7N9 patient in `serious but stable' condition: DOH

ROC Central News Agency

2013/04/25 13:21:06

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) Taiwan's first H7N9-infected patient is in 'serious but stable' condition following treatment, a senior Department of Health (DOH) official said Thursday.

The patient, a 53-year-old Taiwanese businessman operating in China who returned to Taiwan from Shanghai April 9, was confirmed a day earlier to have been infected with the deadly H7N9 avian flu virus.

'The man remains in serious but stable condition and is still receiving treatment in a negative pressure quarantine ward at a northern Taiwan medical center,' said Chou Jih-haw, deputy director-general of the DOH's Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Meanwhile, Chou said, initial tests showed that three hospital personnel who had developed respiratory symptoms after coming into contact with the H7N9 patient were not infected with the virus.

According to Chou, the patient, who is also the first confirmed case imported from China, often traveled between Taiwan and Suzhou in China's Jiangsu Province, one of the H7N9-affected areas.

The man, who is a hepatitis B carrier and suffers from hypertension, last visited Suzhou March 28-April 9, Chou said.

'He did not come into contact with poultry during his stay in Suzhou, but fell ill April 12 with symptoms of fever, sweating and fatigue,' Chou said, adding that the man initially did not show respiratory symptoms such as coughing and running nose.

The man went to see a doctor April 16 and began taking Tamiflu that same day. However, his condition worsened three days later.

'He was transferred to the northern Taiwan medical center April 20 and has since been receiving treatment, including intubation,' Chou said.

An investigation showed that 139 local people had come into contact with the man, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center.

Three of them had close contact, 26 had contact more than seven days ago (putting them past the infectious period) and 110 are hospital personnel, the center said.

As of April 24, China had reported 108 confirmed H7N9 cases, with 23 deaths, according to latest statistics released by Chinese health authorities.

(By Lung Rui-yun and Sofia Wu)
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