As the Zika epidemics around the world had gradually subsided, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus infection no longer constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on November 18, 2016. In Taiwan, the central and local government agencies have completed the 2017 Zika Virus Infection Preparedness and Response Plan. Therefore, on January 26, 2017, the Executive Yuan agreed to deactivate the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) for Zika Virus and announced that regular operation mechanism would be adopted for all long-term efforts that address the control and prevention of the virus. In addition, future efforts will be based on six major strategies, including reinforced disease and outbreak surveillance, strengthened community mobilization and awareness, enhanced surveillance and management of vector populations, preparedness efforts for comprehensive medical testing and clinical healthcare, upgraded research and development capacity, and improved international and cross-sector collaboration to tackle challenges posed by Zika virus infection.

Since the activation of CECC for Zika Virus on February 2, 2015, the central government agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and the Ministry of National Defense (MOND), and the local governments have been working closely together to coordinate resources and efforts, including control and prevention resource preparedness, border quarantine and cross-border prevention efforts, risk communication programs for the public, healthcare and medical testing capacity preparedness, and vector habitat elimination and inspection activities, that have successfully prevented cross-border transmission of Zika virus. No local transmission of the virus has occurred and only 13 imported cases have been reported. None of the cases are pregnant women or newborns.

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) will continue to pay close attention to any updates on relevant control and prevention guidelines released by WHO and the international community in order to adjust the existing control and prevention efforts accordingly. Moreover, the Major Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Joint Meeting will be regularly held to not only enhance communication, coordination and collaboration between the central and local governments, but also to supervise and assist local governments in implementing control and prevention efforts for Zika virus infection. Furthermore, collaboration efforts with the National Vector-Borne Disease Research Institute are also underway to develop new vector control tools and technologies, using evidence-based science to support the implementation of control and prevention measures and address the long-term challenges posed by Zika virus infection.

Since 2015, at least 70 countries, areas and/or territories worldwide have reported local outbreaks of Zika virus infection. Although the overall Zika activity in Latin America and the Caribbean region has slowed, outbreaks in a few countries have continued to persist. Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for Zika virus for 66 countries and territories with ongoing outbreaks or possible local transmission of Zika virus. Moreover, 4 countries, including Laos, had previously reported Zika outbreaks. Nonetheless, no Zika cases were reported in those 4 countries in 2016. Hence, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for Zika virus for those countries.　　

Taiwan CDC advises travelers visiting areas with ongoing Zika transmission to avoid mosquito bites, and people returning from Zika-affected areas are advised to follow the “1+6 Principle”. The “1+6 Principle” specifies that people who have recently traveled to Zika-affected areas should monitor their own health and take precautions against mosquito bites for at least three weeks, postpone blood donation for at least 1 month and regardless whether they develop suspected Zika symptoms, they should practice safe sex (i.e. consistent and correct use of condoms throughout the entire sex act, from sexual contact to after ejaculation) for at least 6 months to prevent Zika transmission. In addition, female travelers should postpone pregnancy for at least 6 months. Further, travelers returning to Taiwan from Zika-affected areas are urged to proactively contact the quarantine officer at the fever screening station at the airport when suspected symptoms develop. If symptoms develop within two weeks of their return, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the physician of their travel history. 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).