Over the last 33 years, brucellosis, a zoonosis, was unseen in Taiwan. During the past two weeks, two imported cases of brucellosis were confirmed.After the first case of brucellosis confirmed in a citizen returning from North Africa by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) on May 17, 2011, the second case of brucellosis was confirmed on May 24, 2011.

According to Taiwan CDC, the second case is a 72-year-old female Malaysian Chinese.During February 14 and March 9, 2010, she visited her family residing in Malaysia by herself and traveled to several places, including Penang.During her trip, she consumed locally produced goat’s milk.After returning to Taiwan, she sought medical attention when she developed fever and spinal pain in April.She informed the doctor of her travel history and food consumption history.After further diagnosis, she was reported to the health authority as a suspected case of brucellosis and was hospitalized for treatment.Brucellosis infection was later confirmed in the case.

Upon receiving the report of the suspected brucellosis case, Taiwan CDC immediately conducted an epidemiological investigation and discovered some dairy goats at a farm in Penang, Malaysia were infected with brucellosis and some local people became infected with brucellosis after consuming unpasteurized goat’s milk produced by the same farm.Therefore, it is highly suspected the case is linked to the incident.

As the incubation period of brucellosis can be as long as a few months, Taiwan CDC advises people who have traveled to the Mediterranean Basin, North and East Africa, the Middle East, South and Central America and developed symptoms of intermitting fever, fatigue, sweating, abdominal pain, headache, back pain, and general weakness after returning to Taiwan to seek medical attention immediately and inform the physician of the recent travel and animal contact history.

Brucellosis is a zoonosis; the pathogen exists in the tissues, blood, and milk of infected animals. Humans can become infected by coming in contact with contaminated animal tissues, consuming dairy products or exposing to the bacteria in laboratories. Human to human transmission is uncommon. Pet owners do not need to be concerned about infection because it is unlikely to have contact with body secretions of pets when playing with pets. Taiwan CDC urges people visiting countries at risk as mentioned above to avoid contacting animals or consuming raw meat, unpasteurized milk, cheese, and ice cream during their trip. Travelers are also advised to pay attention to their and travel companions’ health and seek medical attention as soon as possible if any discomfort occurs. In addition, people planning to travel overseas are encouraged to visit Travel Clinics 2 to 4 weeks prior to the trip for outbreak information at travel destinations or access the Taiwan CDC’s website (http://www.cdc.gov.tw/) for updated information on international epidemics and travel-related communicable diseases.