Investigation of the Confirmed Imported Case of H7N9 Influenza, Taiwan, 2017

On February 4, 2017, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control confirmed an imported case of H7N9 influenza. The patient presented fever and chills on January 23, 2017 in Guangdong, China, and was detected at the quarantine station of Kaohsiung International Airport on January 25 for high body temperature. The patient did not have pneumonia on January 26, so oseltamivir was prescribed as a treatment for his influenza-like illness. Initial throat swab and sputum were tested negative for novel influenza A viruses. The patient returned to the hospital within one week because of aggravating symptoms and was reported for novel influenza A infection and pneumonia of unknown causes. Testing of sputum and throat swab were positive for H7N9 influenza. The patient died on February 27 because of septic shock and multiple organ failure. A total of 141 contacts were identified, which included aircraft passengers and crew, family members, infection control personnel and medical professionals. None of the 141 contacts contracted the infection. This case highlighted that a close collaboration between the border quarantine, medical and public health sectors is important for early detection and containment of imported emerging infectious diseases.