On April 10, 2015, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced this year’s third confirmed case of rubella in a 50-year-old male who resides in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. On March 28, he developed symptoms, including general malaise and dizziness. He sought medical attention at a clinic when he developed rash and fever. On April 9, rubella infection was confirmed in the case. As of now, he has recovered. During the period of exposure, he traveled to Sichuan, China. As a result, the case is determined to be an imported case. As the case visited several public places in Taiwan after he returned. Potential contacts are advised to stay vigilant for suspected symptoms and seek prompt medical attention when those symptoms develop.

To prevent further transmission of the disease, the health authorities has implemented a number of prevention measures and identified 42 contacts, including his family members, coworkers, healthcare personnel and patients that he came into contact with when he sought medical attention, to monitor and follow up until April 19. Currently, none of the contacts has developed any suspected symptoms. People who might have come into contact with the case during March 22 and April 5 are urged to monitor their own health for the next 21 days. When experiencing suspected symptoms such as fever and rash, please put on a facemask, seek medical assistance immediately, and voluntarily inform the physician of relevant exposure history. Pregnant women who might have come into contact with the case are urged to seek medical attention to determine the need for treatment.

Thus far this year, a total of 3 rubella cases have been confirmed in Taiwan, including two imported cases (one from China and the other from an unknown origin) and one indigenous case. During the same period last year, a total of 3 rubella cases, which were all imported, were confirmed. As 95% of the citizens in Taiwan have had the infection or been vaccinated against the disease and most infected individuals experience mild symptoms, the public does not need to panic over the case. However, if a pregnant woman who has no rubella antibodies becomes infected with rubella during early pregnancy, there is a chance she will pass the infection to her unborn child and a chance that the child will develop congenital rubella syndrome, resulting in fetal death, miscarriage or birth defects such as deafness, glaucoma, cataract, microcephaly, intellectual disability, heart disease and even death. Women of child-bearing age who are tested negative for rubella antibody during the pre-marital medical examination can receive a free dose of MMR vaccine when presenting the negative rubella antibody result at the local health station or a contracted hospital.

Rubella is a highly contagious disease. People who are infected with rubella are infectious from 1 week before and 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).