Taipei health authorities yesterday said that a baby infected with measles traveled on the Wenhu (Brown) MRT Line on Dec. 13, 14 and 15 and encouraged anyone who used the service on those days to pay close attention to any indication of measles symptoms for up to 18 days.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Saturday said that the 11-month-old, who lives in Taipei, was confirmed as an imported measles case, having contracted the disease in the Philippines.
The boy visited the Southeast Asian nation with family members from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, the centers said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control
The child developed a fever and rhinitis upon his return to Taipei, and after seeing a doctor on Dec. 14, was admitted to hospital five days later, it said.
The infant has been discharged from hospital, it said.
The Taipei Department of Health said that the disease could have been passed on from the child from Dec. 13 to Dec. 21.
During that period the child had contact with 221 people, including medical care personnel, other patients at two local clinics and the hospital, and family members, all of whom have been told to keep an eye out for symptoms and seek medical care if any signs of the illness arise, the department said in a separate statement.
The baby traveled from Gangqian Station to Nangang Software Park Station from 9am to 9:30am on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, as well as between noon and 12:30pm on Dec. 15; and from Nangang to Gangqian at 6:30pm to 7pm on Dec. 13, 2pm to 2:30pm on Dec. 14, and 1:30pm to 2pm on Dec. 15, the department said, adding that he was also on the third floor of the CTBC Financial Park Mall in Nangang District (南港) from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on Dec. 15.
The department urged people at those locations and times to pay close attention to their health for up to 18 days after possible exposure and immediately visit a doctor if they develop a fever, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, coughing or a rash.
The CDC urged people to refrain from traveling to measles-infected areas with children under the age of one, warning that the disease is highly communicable.
The incubation period for measles, from exposure to early symptoms, averages 10 to 12 days.
CDC data show that Taiwan has recorded 37 measles infections this year, including 10 imported cases.
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