On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) is convening an emergency committee to discuss whether the ongoing Zika virus outbreaks constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) continues to closely monitor the development of the ongoing Zika virus outbreaks. If WHO declares the ongoing Zika virus outbreaks a PHEIC, Taiwan CDC will activate the agency-level command center. Further, Taiwan CDC medical officers are ready to be deployed to areas where the virus is active in Central and South Americas in order to better understand the current outbreak situation and assist and provide guidance and assistance to Taiwanese living in affected areas.

Since the second half of 2015, Zika virus has spread rapidly in Central and South America. As of now, 24 countries in Central and South America have reported local outbreaks. According to relevant regulations, Taiwan CDC has listed Zika virus infection as a Category II Notifiable Infectious Disease. Currently, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for Zika virus for Central and South America and the Caribbean region, and a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for Zika virus for four countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Maldives.

In response to the rapid spread of Zika virus worldwide, Taiwan CDC has completed the initial preparedness and response efforts and published the Guidelines for Dengue/Chikungunya/Zika Virus Infection Control 2016 on February 1. The Taiwan CDC Director-General Kuo Hsu-sung (郭旭崧) will be accompanying the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) Minister Chiang Been-huang (蔣丙煌) to present a briefing on the preparedness and response plan for Zika virus at the Office of the President this afternoon and will recommend the Executive Yuan to appropriate four hundred million dollars from the secondary reserve fund for vector control. To scale up national efforts for Zika virus infection control, 4 major strategies, including healthcare system preparedness planning, prevention of Zika virus importation, border quarantine and vector control, will be implemented.

Once WHO declares the developments of the ongoing Zika virus outbreak a PHEIC, Taiwan CDC will recommend activate the agency-level command center (tertiary level). Once a mosquito carrying Zika virus or an indigenous case of Zika virus infection is identified, Taiwan CDC will recommend activate the ministry-level command center (secondary level). Once a pregnant woman becomes infected with Zika virus, Taiwan CDC will recommend the Executive Yuan to activate the primary level command center.

Besides the first imported case of Zika virus infection in a Thai national detected at the airport in Taiwan on January 10, thus far, no other cases of Zika virus infection have been identified in Taiwan. In addition, no significant increase in the number of neurological congenital malformation or microcephaly in Taiwan has been observed. Nevertheless, Zika virus is transmitted by the same type of mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus, Aedes mosquitoes. On top of that, global warming has also helped facilitated the growth of the mosquito population, elevating the risk of transmission.

Although the disease is usually mild, there have been reports of congenital microcephaly and even deaths in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Hence, Taiwan CDC advises pregnant women and women planning their pregnancy to postpone their trips to areas where Zika virus is active. If visits to affected areas are necessary, please consult with the physician beforehand and take precautions such as wearing light-colored clothing, long sleeves and long pants, applying officially approved mosquito repellent to exposed parts of the body, staying at accommodations installed with window screens, screen doors or air conditioners. Travelers planning to visit affected areas are advised to visit the outpatient travel clinic at contracted hospitals in the nation prior to their trip. If symptoms develop within two weeks of their return, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the physician of their travel 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).