The Center for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a second person had contracted dengue fever in a laboratory, after the first case of dengue fever in Taiwan this year had been declared the result of laboratory mismanagement.
The center said that a graduate student doing research at a university in central Taiwan was confirmed to have contracted the disease on May 13.
According to the CDC, the patient started showing symptoms of fever, headache and pain in his joints on April 22.
Because the student's research had been focused on Armigeres subalbatus, one of the most common mosquito species in Taiwan, the CDC requested in April that all lab work related to the dengue virus be discontinued and that lab safety checks be performed.
The CDC reported yesterday that the patient's latest blood tests had confirmed a genetic link to the virus he had been working with.
According to the CDC, blood tests were performed to confirm that other researchers or laboratory employees had not contracted dengue fever.
The laboratory has since been closed down pending changes to safety regulations and operating procedures, the CDC said, adding that labs conducting research on invertebrates would in the future have to abide by strict World Health Organization regulations and guidelines.
The center's revelation follows close on the heels of a string of laboratory-related SARS cases in Singapore, China and Taiwan. The infections all stemmed from contact with laboratory virus cultures, which gave rise to questions about the safety precautions at research laboratories handling infectious substances.
The CDC said that it will be establishing a lab safety committee to oversee research projects. Research proposals will have to be reported to the committee before being implemented.
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