On December 20, 2016, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced one new imported measles case in a 32-year-old male who resides in northern Taiwan. On December 12, he sought medical attention at a clinic after developing a slight fever, cough and sore throat. On December 15 and 16, he sought further medical attention when his symptoms persisted. In the night of December 16, when his conditions worsened and he developed rash, he sought medical assistance at another clinic and was transferred to a hospital for treatment. On December 20, infection with measles was confirmed in the case. As of now, the case’s conditions have improved and he is currently on home isolation, resting at home. During the incubation period, the case visited India, China, Hawaii and Singapore. Based on his travel history and the period of stay, it is determined that he contracted measles overseas.

To prevent further transmission of the disease, the health authority has implemented a number of prevention measures and identified 154 contacts, including his family members who reside in the same household, colleagues, healthcare personnel and patients that he came into contact with when he sought medical attention, to monitor and follow up until January 7, 2017. 14 of the contacts have been followed up and 140 of them are being followed up.　Currently, none of the contacts has developed suspected symptoms.　　

Thus far this year, a total of 14 measles cases, including 6 indigenous cases (3 clustered cases at the airport, 1 case caused by an imported case from Thailand, and 2 cases with unknown source of infection) and 8 imported cases from China (2), Hong Kong (1), Vietnam (1), India (1), Japan (1), Thailand (1), and an unknown source of infection (1), have been confirmed. Last year, a total of 29 measles cases, including 23 indigenous cases and 6 imported cases from China, were confirmed in Taiwan.　

So far, a cumulative total of 150,000 measles cases have been confirmed worldwide this year, which is 40% lower than that reported during the same period last year. Of the cases, 75% have been reported in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. Among our neighboring countries, China and India have been the hardest hit by measles. This year, China has reported over 20,000 cases even though this year’s measles activity is slower than the last year’s. Every year, measles activity usually begins to increase in December and reaches a peak during April and May the following year before decreasing. On the other hand, India has reported over 60,000 cases this year. The measles incidence rate is 53 cases per million population. Currently, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for measles to China, India, Kazakhstan, Romania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.


As measles season runs from winter to spring, Taiwan CDC reminds the public that vaccination remains the best way to prevent measles. In Taiwan, the existing routine childhood vaccination schedule recommends a dose of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to children 12 months of age and another dose to first graders in elementary schools. Unvaccinated infants and children, those who do not receive vaccine in a timely manner and those who have never been infected with measles are high-risk groups. Parents are urged to ensure timely vaccination of children under one year old and those who have not completed the MMR vaccine series and avoid bringing unvaccinated children to the affected areas in order to prevent infection. Travelers planning to visit affected areas are advised to visit the outpatient travel clinic at contracted hospitals in the nation to determine the need for MMR vaccination 2 to 4 weeks prior to their trip. If symptoms pertaining to measels infection such as fever, fatigue, nasopharyngitis and obviously swollen lymph nodes behind the ears, and generalized irregular papules, joint pain or arthritis develop after returning to Taiwan from affected areas, please put on a mask, seek immediate medical attention, and voluntarily inform the physician of relevant travel and exposure history. For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).