The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is considering heeding the WHO’s advice to screen people for monkeypox and administer vaccines once doses arrive.
Taiwan has stepped up prevention measures at its borders, and is in talks with global pharmaceutical companies to buy monkeypox vaccines and medication, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said yesterday.
The talks are progressing and the CDC expects the first shipment of vaccines to arrive next month, he said.
Photo: AFP
Chuang said he was not at liberty to divulge the amount being purchased, as the deal is still being negotiated.
The CDC is considering two options: administering the vaccines as a preventive measure to medical personnel who want to receive them, or inoculating medical personnel caring for people with monkeypox, as well as patients’ family and friends, Chuang said.
Asked whether the nation’s first imported monkeypox case has left quarantine, Chuang said that the person still has some scabs and would remain under observation for a few more days until all the scabs have peeled off.
Chuang on Tuesday night confirmed the nation’s second case of monkeypox.
The case is a man in his 30s living in northern Taiwan who traveled to the US for work from May to this month.
On July 3, he developed a fever, and his left testicle and the lymph nodes in his groin area started swelling. He sought medical attention on July 5 and was prescribed oral steroids.
However, the symptoms persisted and the man developed skin rashes and diarrhea, Chuang said.
He still has mild symptoms, mostly painful rashes on the face and torso, Chuang said, adding that he would remain in isolation until his blisters form scabs and fall off.
No one sat next to him on the flight to Taiwan, and the airline staff and quarantine officers were wearing protective clothing, so no one was placed under home isolation, he said.
Separately, the WHO yesterday announced that it would convene an extraordinary session next week to determine whether the monkeypox outbreak should be considered a threat to international health.
As of yesterday, 63 countries had reported more than 9,200 monkeypox cases, with Europe comprising 80 percent of all reported cases globally.
The US and Puerto Rico have reported a total of 760 cases.
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