On November 7, 2014, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced a website has falsely reported “22 cases of the Ebola Virus have been confirmed in Taipei”.  In response, Taiwan CDC firmly states that spreading such inaccurate rumor is in violation of Article 63 of the Communicable Disease Control Act, which states that “Persons who spread rumors concerning epidemic conditions of communicable diseases or disseminate incorrect information regarding epidemic conditions, resulting in damages to the public or others, shall be fined up to NT$ 500,000”, as well as Item 5 of Article 63 of the Social Order Maintenance Act, which states that “People engaged in spreading rumors in a way that is sufficient to undermine public order and peace shall be punishable by detention of not more than three days or a fine of not more than of NTD 30,000”.  Taiwan CDC has reported this case to the judicial police for further investigation.  At the same time, Taiwan CDC urges the public to refrain from committing such crimes.

In addition, Taiwan CDC adds that the agency has always committed to open communication and information transparency when it comes to the current response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa and always announces the relevant information first-hand on its website for public reference.

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