The Centre for Health Protection today received recommendations on new management procedures for close contacts of avian flu patients.
The Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases has recommended giving close contacts Tamiflu for five days and placing them under medical surveillance for 10 days since their last exposure to avian flu patients.
They must also report to the centre if they develop a fever or respiratory symptoms.
The close contacts should also wear a mask during the surveillance period, but there are no restrictions for work or other daily activities.
The recommendations are based on the latest scientific understanding of avian influenza A (H7N9) human-to-human transmission risk, which also applies to avian flu with low human-to-human transmission risk, like avian influenza A (H5N1).
The committee noted that avian flu viruses may change unpredictably and advised the centre to review the recommendations when new scientific evidence suggests changes in the potential for human-to-human transmission.
