# 9791
From Hong Kong’s CHP we get word of two additional H7N9 cases in neighboring Guangdong Province.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (March 7) closely monitoring two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Guangdong (GD) notified by the Health and Family Planning Commission of GD Province (GDHFPC), and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
Situation in GD
According to the GDHFPC, the two male patients, aged 62 in Foshan and aged 57 in Jiangmen, were hospitalised for management in critical and serious condition respectively.
The activity of avian influenza viruses in the Mainland remains high this winter and cases in GD are on the rise. To date, 599 cases have been reported by the Mainland health authorities cumulatively since 2013, with 181 (30 per cent) from GD. In GD, 72 cases (40 per cent) with onsets since November 2014 were reported, including 13 from Shenzhen, eight each in Dongguan and Meizhou, etc (see Attachment for geographical distribution).
The remaining cases in other areas were from Zhejiang (156 cases), Jiangsu (70 cases), Fujian (58 cases), Shanghai (45 cases), Anhui (24 cases), Hunan (24 cases), Xinjiang (10 cases), Jiangxi (nine cases), Shandong (six cases), Beijing (five cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou and Hebei (one case each).Illegal import of game, meat and poultry
Apart from avoiding visits to live poultry markets during travel, the DH reminded the public not to bring any game, meat or poultry into Hong Kong without official health certificate issued by the food authority of the place of origin and / or without prior written permission granted by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which may be an offence under the Imported Game, Meat and Poultry Regulations (Cap 132AK). An offender shall be liable on conviction to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for six months.
"Enforcement actions are ongoing at boundary control points by relevant departments, including quarantine detector dogs, against returning travellers and incoming trucks bringing raw meat illegally. As raw meat without a proper health certificate can be a health risk, members of the public should strictly observe the regulation," the spokesman said.
