Defense ministry will step up efforts to prevent outbreak

The Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday it has ordered military units to take the temperature of every service member during morning and evening roll calls each day as part of its efforts to prevent SARS outbreaks.

Major General Lu Li-chun, (呂立群) director of the ministry's Medical Affairs Bureau, made the remarks after attending a supra-ministerial SARS prevention meeting organized by the Department of Health (DOH).

In fact, Lu said, the military has continued to implement temperature-taking and self-health management measures since early January with a view to preventing a SARS comeback.

"Now that the DOH has decided to launch the level A SARS prevention campaign, the ministry will continue its twice-daily temperature-taking and self-health management measures to stem any possible SARS outbreak in military barracks," Lu said, adding that his bureau will also strengthen its monitoring of relevant epidemic developments.

Meanwhile, Kinmen has never let down its guard against SARS, with passengers arriving at Kinmen airport and harbor having their temperatures taken since last year, health officials said Thursday.

Kinmen health official Chen Tien-shun (陳天順) said that temperature-taking measures for inbound and outbound tourists have never stopped since the outbreaks of SARS early last year.

Chen said that Kinmen has maintained a level A alert because of its proximity to China, adding that since last month, all Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China, not just Taiwanese businesspeople based in Fujian Province, have been able to travel between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait via the "small three links," so that the officials have to be more cautious.

Yen Chi-heng, an official with the Center for Disease Control, said that infrared thermal imaging machines were installed at the harbor and airport to measure temperatures.