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Task force classifies new epidemics

Given the simultaneous presence of avian and human flu in Taiwan, a Cabinet-level task force established to prevent and control basic animal infectious diseases yesterday set up a classification system for epidemic situations as guidelines for taking different preventative and control measures.

At a meeting co-chaired by Minister without Portfolio Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正) and Minister for the Council of Agriculture Lee Ching-lung (李金龍), additional reference factors were added to existing guidelines by the Cabinet's Department of Health for human flu. These additional reference factors to the spread of low pathogenic avian flu in Taiwan were further broadened into a rough classification system consisting of four levels, including "level zero," "level A," "level B" and "level C." Level zero consists of two phases.

According to Hu Fu-hsiung (胡富雄), deputy minister of the council, Taiwan falls into the first phase of "level zero," which means that low-pathogenic avian flu had been discovered in Taiwan.

Hu said that Taiwan would enter the second phase of "level zero" once high-pathogenic avian flu has been found.

Health officials of the Center for Disease Control said that once human communication of bird flu was confirmed to have been discovered overseas, or anybody here was infected by high-pathogenic avian flu, Taiwan would register the higher alarm status, level A.

"If Taiwan reaches level A, we might suggest that residents do not go to places where bird flu became communicable to humans and set stricter regulations, checking the health condition of travelers from those places," said the center's deputy director-general, Lin Ting (林頂).

Health experts are urging the government to assist the domestic production of flu vaccines by cooperating with foreign pharmaceutical companies, Lin said.

In addition, Hu said the council would put more efforts into persuading 14 countries into lifting the ban on Taiwan's bird-related products. These countries include South Korea, Hong Kong, Poland, Singapore and Thailand.

Hu said the council had paid attention to the spread of low pathogenic avian flu in Delaware but so far had not considered a ban on the import of all bird-related products from the US.

"The US is in the same situation Taiwan faces. It's unnecessary to ban the import of bird-related products from places where low-pathogenic avian flu is present," said Chiang Yi-nan (江益男), director-general of the council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.
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