On January 6, 2015, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced a confirmed case of rubella in a 27-year-old male who resides in northern Taiwan. In late December, 2014, the case sought medical attention when he developed conjunctivitis and rashes. Infection with rubella was later confirmed. As of now, the case no longer requires isolation.

As the patient had visited South Africa during the incubation period, the patient was deemed an imported case. To prevent further transmission of the disease, the health authorities has implemented a number of prevention measures and identified 105 contacts, including his family members, healthcare personnel and patients that he came into contact with when he sought medical attention, to monitor and follow up until January 18. Currently, none of the contacts has developed any suspected symptoms.

Last year, a total of 7 rubella cases were confirmed in Taiwan. Among the confirmed cases, 2 became infected in China, 1 became infected in the Philippines, 1 became infected in Indonesia, 1 became infected in Malaysia, 1 became infected in South Africa, and 1 became infected in Taiwan. Pregnant women who are tested negative for rubella antibody are advised against traveling to areas affected by rubella. Taiwan CDC advises travelers aged between 20 and 50 planning to visit affected areas and will come into contact with pregnant women and children below one year of age who have not completed the MMR vaccine series to visit the outpatient travel clinic at 26 contracted hospitals in the nation to determine the need for rubella vaccination 2 to 4 weeks prior to their trip. As vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent rubella, parents are urged to ensure timely vaccination of children under one year old and those who have not completed the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine series and are advised against bringing children below the age of one or those who have not received the MMR vaccine to areas affected by rubella. If such travel is inevitable, children are recommended to receive one dose of self-paid MMR vaccine two weeks prior to visiting the affected areas at local health stations.

Rubella is a highly contagious disease. People who are infected with rubella are infectious from 1 week before to at least 4 days after the rash appears. It is transmitted through airborne droplet or close contact with the patient, but it is vaccine-preventable. If symptoms pertaining to rubella infection such as fever, fatigue, nasopharyngitis and obviously swollen lymph nodes behind the ears develop and are accompanied by generalized irregular papules, joint pain or arthritis, please put on a mask, seek immediate medical attention, and voluntarily inform the physician of relevant travel and exposure 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).