First case of human infection with avian flu

A 58-year-old man, who managed the stall that handled the contaminated poultry at the wholesale market, has tested positive for avian influenza virus A (H7N9). The patient and his wife – identified as a close contact of the stall owner – were immediately sent to Conde S. Januário Hospital for treatment and placed under medical surveillance.

The patient – Macau’s first confirmed case of human infection with the H7N9 virus – had not developed any respiratory symptoms at that point of time, said the director of the Health Bureau, Lei Chin Ion, at a separate press briefing held yesterday morning.

As the Times reported yesterday, sales of live poultry in Macau markets have been suspended for at least three days starting yesterday. The decision was made after authorities detected the avian influenza virus subtype H7 in chicken samples at the city’s wholesale market on Tuesday.

The contaminated poultry batch was not delivered to live poultry stalls at local markets.

In order to safeguard public safety and minimize the spread of the virus, authorities culled about 10,000 birds at the Macau Nam Yue Wholesale Market yesterday.

A public health contingency mechanism was immediately activated once the virus was detected. It included suspending imports from the suspected farms and thorough cleaning and sterilization of the poultry wholesale market and of all live poultry stalls in local markets.

The Health Bureau has already notified the mainland authorities of a mainland driver who had been in close contact with the infected batch of poultry, after it had been notified that the man had returned to the mainland yesterday.