As the ongoing MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea slows, the number of possible contacts being monitored has drastically decreased. Samsung Medical Center in Seoul where sporadic cases have occurred recently has been shut down. Thus far, there has been no evidence of sustained community transmission of MERS-CoV. In addition, the mandatory quarantine periods for all affected hospitals have all ended and no further case has occurred. Hence, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has decided to lower the travel notice level for South Korea from Level 2: Alert for MERS to Level 1: Watch for MERS. Travelers visiting South Korea who require medical assistance may visit one of the 285 hospitals on the Safe Hospital List announced by the South Korean health authorities (For English, please visit: http://goo.gl/NGUWMp. For Korean, please visit: http://goo.gl/uarpFz)

Last week, South Korean health officials announced 4 new MERS cases and all of them were associated with Samsung Medical Center. During May 20 and July 7, a cumulative total of 186 MERS cases, including one confirmed in Guandong Province, China and 33 deaths, have been confirmed in South Korea. According to WHO, during September 2012 and July 5, 2015, a total of 1,367 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 487 related deaths, have been announced. Among affected countries, Saudi Arabia has reported the most cases, followed by South Korea. Currently, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for MERS-CoV to Saudi Arabia, and a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for MERS-CoV to South Korea, UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, Oman and Bahrain.

On the other hand, thus far this year, as of May, a total of 523 cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), including 17 deaths, have been confirmed in China. The number of new cases confirmed in May accounts for 75% of the total. Most cases occurred in Henan Province, Shandong Province, Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Liaoning Province, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province. Taiwan CDC reminds travelers planning to visit affected areas to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and apply officially approved insect repellent to exposed body parts to prevent tick bites and lower the risk of contracting the disease while visiting vector-prone places such as grasslands and woods. In addition, they are also advised to shower and changing clothes after visits to the aforementioned places. SFTS is an infectious disease that is transmitted to humans by the bite of SFTSV-infected ticks SFTS. The incubation period ranges from 5 to 14 days. The primary symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), and leucopenia (low white blood cell count). In severe cases, hemorrhage, multiple organ failure and even death may occur. The case fatality rate is approximately 7%. During the recent years, cases have occurred in China, Japan and South Korea.

People planning to travel overseas during the summer vacation are advised to visit the outpatient travel clinic at 26 contracted hospitals in the nation to seek medical advice 2 to 4 weeks prior to their trip. If symptoms develop after returning to Taiwan from affected areas, please 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).