TAIPEI - The epidemic control authority in Taiwan on Wednesday stressed that the privacy of people infected with H7N9 bird flu, and their close contacts should be protected.

The authority made the remarks in response to the recent media exposure of some personal information about Taiwan's first H7N9 patient.

The 53-year-old Taiwan resident?was confirmed to be infected with the new type of virus a week ago.

He is reported to be still under ICU treatment at the Taiwan University Hospital.

The authority called on media organizations to prudently deal with the reporting of this case and not to cause disturbance to the patient and his family members.

According to regulations of the island, the names and medical records of infectious disease patients should not be made public, said Chou Jih-haw, deputy director of the island's center for disease control.

Also on Wednesday, the island's epidemic authority reported 26 cases of suspected H7N9 infection it received over the 24 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday morning.

However, the authority noted that all were proved negative, except nine cases which are still being tested.