Taiwan and the US yesterday began a joint three-day workshop in Taiwan, focusing on testing and diagnosis of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in an effort to strengthen the region’s ability to respond to the disease.
The workshop in Tainan is being attended by experts from the Asia-Pacific region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Experts and officials from Taiwan, the US, Japan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines are participating in the workshop, during which US experts in disease control are scheduled to give presentations on related issues, the ministry said.
Yesterday’s opening ceremony was attended by Department of North American Affairs Director-General Christine Hsueh (薛美瑜) and Ministry of Health and Welfare Centers for Disease Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧).
Officials said that Taiwan is experienced in combating epidemics and has cooperated with the US on international responses to epidemics such as Ebola, adding that Taiwan would continue to play a role as a provider of humanitarian assistance.
The workshop comes after the South Korean government late last month declared an end to a MERS outbreak that killed 36 people in that nation.
Although no MERS cases have been reported in Taiwan, the government has taken precautionary measures aimed at preventing and combating the disease.
The workshop is the first since Taiwan and the US on June 1 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to extend cooperation on international public health and other issues of of mutual concern.
The MOU came with the launch of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which offers a platform for Taiwan and the US to work closely in the areas of global health, environmental protection, science and technology, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the ministry said.
In March, Taiwan and the US launched a joint program in Tainan to help train medical personnel in the Asia-Pacific region to combat Ebola, which has killed more than 10,000 people in west Africa.
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