The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) confirmed two new indigenous measles cases. The first case showed symptoms on June 10, 2010.The case sought medical attention and was confirmed on June 15. On June 14, the second case showed symptoms and sought medical attention on the same day when symptoms persisted. On June 17, the case sought further medical attention. Both cases are 21-year-old female students who took public transportation for school and work, took languages tests and worked part time in a convenience store. Hence, there is a risk of measles infection at the community level. In order to detect other potentially infected cases, Taiwan CDC calls for the public to seek medical attentionif one has fever, rash, coryza, conjunctivitis or other measles-like symptom. One must wear a mask and avoid taking the public transportation while seeking medical attention to prevent possible transmission of the virus.Doctors must be vigilant when diagnosing. Any suspected case must be reported.
According to the surveillance data compiled by Taiwan CDC, during the same period from 2007 to 2009, Taiwan has 3, 5 and 47 confirmed measles cases respectively. This year, 11 cases have been thus far confirmed since June 21, which is lower than that during the same period last year but higher than that during the same period in the previous two years. As measles is highly contagious, the public must increase their vigilance about measles infection. Internationally, the prevalence of measles this year is higher than that in the previous years. In Asia, besides the Philippines and Vietnam, China has a relatively high number of measles cases. In Bulgaria, Europe, 18,000 people have been infected since last April, with twenty death counts. In East and South Africa, 14 countries have reported a total if 47,907 measles cases, including 731 deaths, mostly in South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Measles is highly contagious, and vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease. In Taiwan, the existing routine childhood vaccination schedule recommends a dose of MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine to children 12 months of age and another dose to first graders in elementary schools.Although the national vaccination rate is as high as 98.13%, data from the previous years indicate that children who either delayed in receiving the vaccine or did not receive the vaccine at all and those who have never been infected are considered at high risk for measles infection.Meanwhile, the ongoing epidemics of measles in neighboring Mainland China, Southeast Asia pose additional threat to the high-risk groups. As a result, parents of young children must ensure their children are up to date with vaccinations. If an infant older than 6 months must travel abroad with the parents, he/she must receive single dose of measles vaccine that is available at a local health unit.
With a large decline in the number of measles cases in Taiwan due to the successful implementation of the MMR vaccination program, clinicians have become less likely to suspect measles in patients and may thus fail to report suspected cases and miss the best time to start treatment. Taiwan CDC urges the public and clinicians to stay vigilant against measles. When suspected symptoms appear, one must seek medical assistance immediately and report to Taiwan CDC in order to take precautions in time before an epidemic spreads. For any related inquiries, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at: http://www.cdc.gov.tw, or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline 1922.