As South Korean announced more MERS-CoV cases, the Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang Been-huang visited the designated hospital in the Northern Region, Sinwu Branch, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare to inspect the hospital conduct the “On-site MERS-CoV Patient Management Drill”. In addition, Minister Chiang also instructed the other 5 designated hospitals in Taiwan and 3 other designated hospitals on the offshore islands to be prepared for managing potential MERS-CoV cases.

The drill conducted by Sinwu Branch, Taoyuan General Hospital simulated the scenario where a close contact of a laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV case entered Taiwan and sought medical attention after developing fever in a community setting. The healthcare facility where the patient sought medical attention immediately reported the patient to the commander in the Northern Region and transferred the patient to the designated hospital. The purpose of this drill is to ensure that when a similar event occurs, a potential MERS-CoV case can be managed properly, which will prevent further spread of the disease.

After the 2003 SARS outbreak, Taiwan has established the Communicable Disease Control Medical Network, dividing Taiwan into 6 regions, including the Taipei Region, the Northern Region, the Central Region, the Southern Region, the Kao-Ping Region, and the Eastern Region, and designating one hospital in each of the 6 regions as the designated hospital for receiving patients with Category I-V Notifiable Infectious Diseases and major emerging infectious diseases. Once a patient with the aforementioned disease is identified, the hospital should report the case to the regional commander and transferred the case to the designated hospital for treatment in order to prevent further spread of the disease.

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has also requested all the designated hospitals to develop a contingency plan that they can follow in times of emergency. The contingency plan also serves as the basis of their annual drill that can help ensure all front-line healthcare providers are familiar with the procedures for managing patients potentially infected with a national notifiable or emerging infectious disease.

The Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang pointed out that since the occurrence of the ongoing MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea, Taiwan has been strengthening border control and hospital preparedness. Besides re-evaluating the procedures for receiving a potential case, the drill also allowed front-line healthcare workers to practice implementing relevant infection prevention and control measures. The purpose of conducting such drills is to prevent nosocomial infection when an actual case is received and ensure the health of all healthcare workers and everyone in Taiwan.

Although most of the MERS-CoV cases reported to date were confirmed in the Middle East, the importation of the disease remains possible through frequent international trade and travel. Airports, airline companies and travel agencies are urged to pay additional attention to the health of travelers. Travelers planning to visit affected areas are urged to pay attention to personal hygiene, respiratory protection and hand cleanliness and avoid visiting any farms and all direct contact with camels, including drinking un-pasteurized camel milk, to reduce the risk of infection. If you have experienced symptoms such as fever, cough or influenza-like illness, and diarrhea after returning to Taiwan from affected area, please notify the quarantine officer at the quarantine station at airports/harbors immediately and put on a surgical mask and seek immediate medical attention and inform your physician of any recent travel and exposure history. Taiwan CDC urges physicians to be sure to inquire suspected patients their travel, occupation, contact and cluster (TOCC) history and reinforce the reporting of suspected cases to ensure prompt treatment and subsequent implementation of the relevant prevention and control measures. 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).