Wed, Jun 03, 2026 page4

• CDC reports new measles case, 491 contacts identified

  CLUSTER: The infected man had direct contact with a previous imported measles case, and he contacted his local health department, an official said

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a local case of measles had been reported, and 491 contacts have been instructed to self-monitor for symptoms until June 16, adding that the person was a close contact of a previously confirmed case from Thailand.

  The new case is a man in his 20s in northern Taiwan, who developed a fever, headache and rashes on Tuesday last week, and received treatment at a hospital, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.

  The hospital staff determined that his symptoms were likely caused by measles, and reported the suspected case and sent specimens for testing, she said.

  

  Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei provides an update on measles cases at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  The man had had direct contact with a previous imported measles case, and when symptoms appeared, he contacted his local health department, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said.

  The imported case was a female foreign national who traveled to Taiwan from Thailand in the middle of last month and began showing symptoms three days after her arrival, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.

  The woman first took over-the-counter medicine, but as her symptoms continued, she sought medical treatment four days after onset, he said, adding that her doctor immediately reported the case.

  None of them needed hospitalization, Lin said.

  They constitute a cluster of infections with 491 close contacts, he added.

  “Measles is highly contagious and can spread easily through the air,” he said.

  About 5 to 10 percent of those infected might develop complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and otitis media, with higher risk for infants and immunocompromised adults, he added.

  People who were born in 1966 or later and are traveling to places where measles is spreading are recommended to consult with a doctor about getting a measles-mumps-rubella vaccine two to four weeks before departure, he said.

  Japan has already reported 511 measles cases this year, higher than the 265 cases last year, Guo said.

  However, weekly cases have been reducing in the past month, with most of its imported cases from Indonesia, he said.

  Bangladesh has reported 70,936 suspected cases since an outbreak that started in March, with 9,049 confirmed; while other Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, continue to report new cases, he said.

  In the Americas, a total of 20,251 confirmed cases had been reported in 17 countries as of the 20th week of this year, which is significantly higher than the same period last year, with Mexico having the most cases (10,920), followed by Guatemala (6,209), the US (1,952) and Canada (1,018), he said.

  Meanwhile, there were 5,573 hospital visits for enterovirus infection last week, and weekly case numbers have displayed a gradual increasing trend over the past few weeks, Guo said.

  Virus surveillance data show that coxsackievirus A6 was the most common strain in the past four weeks, followed by coxsackievirus A4 and enterovirus D48, he said, adding that four cases of enterovirus with severe complications and one death have been confirmed this year.

  Enterovirus activity in nearby countries China, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong has been increasing, while Vietnam is experiencing a more severe outbreak, with more than 34,400 accumulated cases this year as of April, he said.

  The CDC reminded caregivers of young children and infants to pay attention to whether an infected child develops early signs of severe illness, and to seek immediate medical attention if the symptoms appear.
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