The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced last week this year’s fifth measles case in a female flight attendant who resides in northern Taiwan.
On April 8, the case developed fever and oral herpes. On April 9, she developed rash over the body. On April 10, she sought medical attention at a hospital. The hospital collected specimens from her for laboratory testing and requested that she conduct home quarantine. On April 12, infection with measles was confirmed in the case. During the incubation period, she visited France, Singapore, China (Beijing and Hanzhou), and Thailand (Bangkok). Hence, it is determined that the case is an imported case.
During the infectious period, she worked on Elite Class for Flight B62 that departed from Vienna, Austria to Bangkok during April 5 and 6, 2017, and then on Elite Class for Flight BR212 that departed from Thailand to Taoyuan, Taiwan on April 7. To prevent further transmission of the disease, the local health authority has implemented a number of prevention measures and identified 170 contacts, including her family members who reside in the same household, passengers and colleagues on the same flights, healthcare personnel and patients that she came into contact with when she sought medical attention, to monitor and follow up until April 28, 2017. Passengers who took Elite Class on the same flights on the same days are thus urged to conduct self-health management for 18 days (till April 24 for those who took the flight on April 5 and 6). If suspected symptoms develop, please put on a mask immediately, seek prompt medical attention and voluntarily notify the physician of the relevant exposure history.
Thus far this year, a total of 5 measles cases have been confirmed in Taiwan and all 5 are imported cases. They respectively became infected in China, Indonesia, Europe and Thailand.
In addition, Taipei City’s Department of Health warned of an Enterovirus outbreak this spring, and urged the public to practice good personal hygiene to prevent infection.
Last week alone, a total of 419 patients sought out emergency treatment at hospitals for enterovirus infection, almost 70 percent higher than the average number for the previous four weeks, according to government data.
Enterovirus infections are common among infants and children and usually peak in spring and summer months, especially between April and June, with outbreaks occurring every 3-4 yearsthe department said.
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