Mothers around the world are the same in one way: They all want their children to grow up safe and healthy. Ahead of Mother’s Day, Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and HTC Corporation’s healthcare unit DeepQ held a press conference today (May 7) to unveil “The Smart Mommy’s Secret Weapon Against Infectious Diseases,” a suite of new features in Taiwan CDC’s official LINE chatbot Disease Control Butler. Developed for the needs of expectant mothers and infants, these features were released today as a practical Mother’s Day gift for all mothers in Taiwan.

This year’s updates to the Disease Control Butler experience include a new database that lets users search for epidemic information by city/county; a weekly newsletter; disease prevention advice for expectant mothers and their babies; and information about infant immunizations. To ease the burden on parents, Taiwan CDC compiled information about infant vaccinations, providing an immunization schedule calculator as well as tools for pre-vaccination screening, hospital look-up, and vaccination reminders.

Chen Mu-jung, an acclaimed pediatrician who shares his experiences and counsel online, said it is very important for children to receive vaccinations according to the schedule. If the recommended schedule is disrupted due to special circumstances, such as the child having a fever, parents can benefit from Disease Control Butler’s convenient management tools and reminders. For families with many children, these features can provide invaluable support.

DeepQ Senior Director Jerry Cheng said that HTC was very pleased to continue its collaboration with Taiwan CDC this year. Working with physicians who specialize in disease prevention, the team gave Disease Control Butler an immunization schedule calculator and a reminder function, to give parents timely information on childhood immunizations. In addition, users can ask Disease Control Butler to report the latest epidemic situation at home and abroad, so that they can take the necessary precautions.

Taiwan CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang said that Disease Control Butler, a joint project by HTC and Taiwan CDC, was about to reach its third year of operation. Since its launch, the LINE chatbot has amassed more than 800,000 users. Director-General Chou said he was very grateful to HTC for contributing its expertise in artificial intelligence to the project. The latest Disease Control Butler doesn’t only offer information on more than 90 infectious diseases and travel advisories. It is also a customizable resource on disease prevention for expectant mothers and their children. Taiwan CDC hopes that the new feature can offer hard-working mothers a helping hand.

Whether you are a parent with a young child, a business traveler, a tourist, or simply a person who wants to learn more about how to prevent infectious diseases, Disease Control Butler can be of help. To get started, go to Official Accounts and type “疾管家” or “＠taiwancdc” in the search bar. Disease Control Butler is a powerful personal assistant who can be used to get the latest outbreak alerts, manage vaccinations, and get answers with the tap of the screen.