Taiwan reports first case of H7N9, in man arriving from Suzhou

Taiwan yesterday confirmed an H7N9 bird flu infection in a Taiwanese traveller from Suzhou - the first time the killer virus has spread from the mainland.

The 53-year-old man, who is in critical condition, tested positive after returning to Taiwan via Shanghai on April 9, the island's Centre for Disease Control said. He had not been in contact with birds and poultry.

The discovery may lead to increased scrutiny of travellers to and from the mainland, where the new strain was discovered last month. A total of 108 cases have been confirmed in seven provinces, and 23 have died.

Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, director of the emerging infectious disease centre at Chinese University, said the case in Taiwan meant Hong Kong had to be more cautious, but he said the current measures by the city's government at border check points, including temperature scans and immediate quarantine for visitors with symptoms, were good enough.

"There's no need for panic unless there are human-to-human transmissions," said Hui.

Speaking after a five day study on the mainland yesterday, a panel of World Health Organisation experts described the strain as "one of the most lethal" of its kind and said it was more easily transmissible to humans than an earlier strain, H5N1.