“[Taiwan] is categorized as highly prepared in case of major outbreaks of communicable diseases by the WHO. However, as the epidemic situation varies from minute to minute, we have to maintain a high degree of vigilance and cannot lower our guard,” he said.
Shih told a press conference yesterday afternoon that two suspected swine flu cases had been reported in Taiwan in the past 72 hours.
The Taiwanese man and a Greek man who had fever had recently visited Mexico. They were later confirmed not to be suffering from swine flu, he said.
Over the past three days, Shih said, there had been more than 50 flights that carried more than 15,000 passengers from North America, and inspectors at the airport screened five passengers with high body temperatures.
These five were also confirmed not to be suffering from swine flu, he said.
All confirmed cases of swine flu in Taipei City will be sent for quarantine and treatment at Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital, said Allen Chiu (邱文祥), commissioner of Taipei City’s Health Department.
A SARS outbreak was reported at Taipei Hoping Hospital in April 2003, and the city government kept the hospital in quarantine for more than 10 days after hospital workers were infected. The outbreak caused seven deaths and 59 hospital workers were infected. The city government later designated the hospital as the city’s main treatment facility for infectious disease control.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) told a press conference that the city would use experience it gained in combating SARS to prevent an outbreak of swine flu in Taiwan.
“Taipei is an international city with many visitors from around the world, and so we should be alert and prepared. There is no need to panic, because the city government is well prepared,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Kaohsiung Mayor Lee Yung-te (李永得) said the Organizing Committee of the World Games would establish a swine flu prevention task force during the Games in July.
Kaohsiung City’s Department of Health Deputy Director-General Su Chuan-chuan (蘇娟娟) said the city government would launch a study to decide whether athletes from flu-hit areas would be placed under quarantine when they arrive in July.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN, MO YAN-CHIH AND FLORA WANG
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