To provide people working in tourism comprehensive knowledge about travel health and further decrease the risk of spreading infectious diseases during traveling, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) will conduct a training program at the International Convention Center of National Taiwan University Hospital on October 25, 2009. (Address of the venue: No.2, Xuzhou Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan.)

The program discusses traveling regulations, laws concerning the prevention and control of communicable diseases, travel medicine resources, instructions on how to use travel references, problems frequently encountered in four most popular travel routes (high latitude areas, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central and South America) and adequate responses during raveling. Taiwan CDC strongly recommends people working in tourism to attend this program and will award a certificate and a souvenir to those who complete the entire program.

According to a survey done by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, the annual number of people traveling abroad has exceeded 8,460,000 person-times since 2008. However, only 8% of the people had travel health consultation prior to their trips. On the other hand, according to the surveillance data provided by Taiwan CDC, a total of 499 cases of imported communicable disease were reported in 2008; the number has reached 429 by the end of September, 2009. Among these patients, 161 had dengue fever, 59 had 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), and 50 of them had typhoid fever; most of them came from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and 24 other countries. People are advised to pay attention to the potential risk to their health brought about by travel and should understand the importance of health management while traveling.

Taiwan CDC has pointed out that a tour guide does play an important role in a group tour and should have sufficient knowledge about travel medicine, including environmental assessment prior to traveling, health care during traveling, first aid and precaution measures during accidents , and case reporting formality after returning to Taiwan. To further advance tour guides’ knowledge in travel medicine, Taiwan CDC, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, and the Training Center for Travel Medicine at the National Taiwan University Hospital have collaborated on the 2009 Travel Medicine Training Program. To apply for participation in the program, please contact the Training Center for Travel Medicine under the Department of Family Medicine at the National Taiwan University Hospital by e-mail at hidear5477@gmail.com, by fax at 02-23118674, or in person. For further inquires, please contact Ms. You by phone at 02-23123456, ext. 66010.