The twenty-first meeting held by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) was convened by Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Shou-Hsia Cheng, on August 18, 2009.During the meeting, national standards for implementing school closure and other disease control measures when schools reopen after the summer break and disease control measures to be implemented at shelters housing people affected by Typhoon Morakot were passed.

The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior and the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) presented the “School Closure Recommendations and Guidelines for School (K-9), Cram Schools and After School Institutes” formulated by the three agencies during the meeting.When implementing the aforementioned policy, a class is suspended for five days, including weekends and holidays, when two or more students in the same class are diagnosed to have contracted influenza within three days.

On the other hand, according to the disease surveillance data compiled by the Taiwan CDC, no outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) or other infectious disease has occurred in areas affected by Typhoon Morakot.Nevertheless, to prevent pandemic influenza A (H1N1) transmission at shelters housing people affected by Typhoon Morakot, relevant disease control measures have been formulated by the Central Epidemic Command Center.Further, disease surveillance systems have been set up at shelters and medical aid stations/hospitals in areas affected by Typhoon Morakot. CECC has loosened the restrictions on the use of Tamiflu at the 156 medical and health care centers in the 13 typhoon-affected areas.People living in the shelters at typhoon-affected areas who develop influenza-like symptoms and are diagnosed with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) will be given Tamiflu with or without further confirmation by rapid diagnostic test to ensure prompt treatment. In addition, free pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine will be provided to the people living in those shelters.

As of noon on August 18, 2009, 25 severe cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) have been reported in Taiwan.Of the cases, 4 are still staying at hospitals for treatment, while the others have all been discharged.