On February 2, 2016, at 2:30am Taipei time, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the recent cluster of microcephaly cases and other neurologic disorders reported in Brazil, following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014, constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).　Following the WHO’s footsteps, in the same morning, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) activated the agency-level command center to further step up efforts for ongoing Zika virus outbreaks and listed Zika virus infection as a Category V Notifiable Infectious Disease as Ebola virus disease and MERS. 　

On the same day at 1pm, Premier Chang San-cheng (張善政) attended the briefing on Zika virus preparedness and response held at Taiwan CDC in person and instructed the implementation of 4 major strategies, including healthcare system preparedness planning, prevention of Zika virus importation, border quarantine and vector control, in order to prevent the occurrence of local outbreaks.

WHO strongly suspects that there is a causative link between infection with the Zika virus during pregnancy and microcephaly (in newborns). On top of that, in view of the rapid spread of the virus in Latin America and the significant increases in the numbers of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders reported in Brazil and French Polynesia, WHO warrants the event a public health threat to other parts of the world.

This morning, Taiwan CDC Director-General Kuo Hsu-sung (郭旭崧) activated the agency-level command center, which consists of several units of Taiwan CDC, including the National Health Command Center (NHCC), Division of Acute Infectious Diseases, Division of Quarantine, and Center for Research, Diagnostics and Vaccine Development. During the meeting this morning, it was decided that relevant government agencies such as the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) and the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) and related experts such as obstetricians/gynecologists, infectious disease specialists and neurologists needed to improve the surveillance and detection of infections, congenital malformations, and neurological complication and research into whether there is a causative link between Zika virus infection and microcephaly as soon as possible. Director-General Kuo particularly pointed out that there is no ongoing transmission of Zika virus in Taiwan. In addition, besides one imported case of Zika virus infection, no other cases of Zika virus infection have been identified in Taiwan. As a result, the focus of Taiwan’s current efforts against Zika virus is to prevent the importation of the virus into Taiwan.

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. Currently, 26 countries in Latin 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 Latin 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.

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).