2013/04/26 22:49:13
Taipei, April 26 (CNA) Taiwan's computer maker Acer Inc. asked eight of its employees, who recently went to the hospital to visit a patient infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus, to work from home, but a doctor said Friday that such a decision is not necessary.
Luo I-chun, a physician at Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said his agency is aware of the eight Acer employees' visit.
However, Luo said that since the eight people did not have direct contact with the patient and merely met with the patient's family at the hospital, Luo said the preventive measures taken by the company was unnecessary.
According to Acer, the eight employees paid a visit to the 53-year-old patient Tuesday, before he was confirmed to be infected with the H7N9 virus the following day.
The patient, who is a businessman working in China, was reported to be an former employee of the computer maker, although authorities did not reveal his identity.
The company said it has asked the eight workers to work from home for seven days from Thursday, and during that period, to regularly monitor their own health, following the government's instructions.
Acer added that the company has begun reducing employees' trips to China after the country reported H7N9 human cases starting March 31.
The 53-year-old patient is the first and the only confirmed H7N9 case in Taiwan. Health officials are still awaiting test results of 13 possible patients, as of 5 p.m. Friday, according to the CDC's press release.
Meanwhile, China has confirmed 112 H7N9 human cases, with 23 fatalities, the CDC release said. No case has been reported outside Taiwan and China. http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aall/201304260038.aspx
Luo I-chun, a physician at Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said his agency is aware of the eight Acer employees' visit.
However, Luo said that since the eight people did not have direct contact with the patient and merely met with the patient's family at the hospital, Luo said the preventive measures taken by the company was unnecessary.
According to Acer, the eight employees paid a visit to the 53-year-old patient Tuesday, before he was confirmed to be infected with the H7N9 virus the following day.
The patient, who is a businessman working in China, was reported to be an former employee of the computer maker, although authorities did not reveal his identity.
The company said it has asked the eight workers to work from home for seven days from Thursday, and during that period, to regularly monitor their own health, following the government's instructions.
Acer added that the company has begun reducing employees' trips to China after the country reported H7N9 human cases starting March 31.
The 53-year-old patient is the first and the only confirmed H7N9 case in Taiwan. Health officials are still awaiting test results of 13 possible patients, as of 5 p.m. Friday, according to the CDC's press release.
Meanwhile, China has confirmed 112 H7N9 human cases, with 23 fatalities, the CDC release said. No case has been reported outside Taiwan and China. http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aall/201304260038.aspx
