Following the WHO’s declaration of a global public health emergency over the Zika virus and its suspected complications in newborns, the Executive Yuan yesterday declared the launch of a Zika virus epidemic command center at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Premier Simon Chang (張善政) announced the establishment of the command center before he attended the center’s first meeting at the CDC at noon.
The Zika virus — a mosquito-borne infection related to dengue fever — is spreading rapidly across Central and South America and is strongly suspected to be linked to thousands of birth defects including microcephaly, a condition in which newborns have abnormal brain development resulting in small heads.
Although there has only been one reported Zika infection in the nation, imported from Thailand, Taiwan cannot neglect the severity of the disease, Chang said, adding that the CDC has been tasked with reinforcing preventive measures.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said the agency has designated the Zika virus as a category five disease on its list of notifiable communicable diseases, along with Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and the Ebola virus.
Due to Zika infections having been reported in 26 countries in Central and South America, the CDC has raised its travel notice for the areas from a level one watch to a level two alert, Chou said, adding that a watch travel notice has been issued for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Maldives.
As many people are expected to travel abroad during the Lunar New Year holiday, possibly bringing the virus back to Taiwan, travelers are advised to have their blood examined at a hospital as soon as possible if they experience any symptoms related to the Zika virus after their return from areas affected by the outbreak, Chang said.
“The most important task right now is to prevent the Zika virus from entering the nation,” he said.
“Will the virus spread to Taiwan? The answer is: We cannot exclude the possibility, so we are doing all we can to prevent it being imported through airports and harbors,” he added.
The CDC said pregnant women should consider postponing travel to areas affected by the Zika virus and advised travelers to avoid mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants and applying insect repellent.
The center plans to invite specialists from the National Health Insurance Administration, the Health Promotion Administration and relevant departments at hospitals to monitor and clarify the link between microcephaly and the Zika virus, Chou said.
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