On April 10, 2014, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced the eighth imported case of measles confirmed this year. The case is a 38-year-old male Chinese national who arrived in Taiwan from Tianjin on March 30, 2014 to attend a seminar in a hospital. On the next day, he began to develop discomfort such as headache. On April 3, he developed rash. Measles infection was confirmed in the case after he sought medical attention. As of now, the case has been removed from isolation and recovering in his dormitory. To prevent further spread of the disease, the health authority has compiled a list of 56 contacts, including passengers on the same flight, people he came in contact with during his seminar, healthcare personnel and patients, to monitor their health and administer follow up activities such as post-exposure prophylaxis until April 25. As of now, none of the contacts has developed suspected symptoms. Thus far this year, as of April 10, a total of 8 imported measles cases have been confirmed in Taiwan. Among them, 6 became infected while visiting or living in Southeast Asia (4 became infected in the Philippines, 1 became infected in Indonesia, and 1 became infected in Malaysia), while the other 2 were imported from China.

According to surveillance data, during January and March, 2014, a total of 14,025 measles cases were reported in China, which is 76% higher than that (7,953) reported during the same period last year. The ongoing measles epidemic in China appears to be on the rise. In the past, measles epidemic usually begins to increase in February and peaks around April and May before declining. As people from Taiwan frequently visit China, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for measles to all provinces and cities in China. Travelers visiting China are urged to practice good personal hygiene. In addition, children below one year old and those unvaccinated against MMR advised against travel to areas affected by measles outbreak to prevent infection.

Measles is a highly infectious respiratory disease that is spread by contact with droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected person, either directly or through aerosol transmission. An infected person remains infectious 4 days before and after the development of rash. The transmission of measles is further facilitated by ever increasing international exchange and travel, especially among populations that are not vaccinated against the disease. Currently, vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent measles. Parents are urged to ensure timely vaccination of children under one year old and those who have not completed the MMR vaccine series and avoid bringing unvaccinated children to the affected areas. On the other hand, some people who have not been infected with measles or those who received the MMR vaccine when young, but their measles antibody level has decreased over time are still at risk for infection and passing on the infection to others.

Taiwan CDC advises travelers planning to visit areas affected by measles to visit the outpatient travel clinic at 21 contracted hospitals in the nation to determine the need for measles vaccination prior to their trip, and throughout the trip, pay attention to personal hygiene, wash hands frequently, avoid touching mouth and nose, and wearing a mask when visiting crowded places. If symptoms pertaining to measles infection such as fever, rhinitis and rash develop, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the physician of relevant travel and exposure history. For any questions or further information, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922 if calling from a cell phone.