To ensure the appropriate use of government-funded influenza antiviral drugs, pursuant to the decisions made by the Influenza Control and Prevention Division and the Immunization Division under the Ministry of Health and Welfare Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee during the Influenza Control and Prevention Advisory Meeting, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) decided to expand the target population for the government-funded influenza antiviral drug use to include persons with influenza-like illness (ILI) and signs of severe complications, patients with ILI who are aged below 5 and above 65, and 　 hospitalized patients with ILI beginning December 1, 2017.　

In addition, to mitigate the impact of influenza outbreaks, Taiwan CDC decided to expand the target population for the government-funded influenza antiviral drug use to include ILI patients whose family members/coworkers/classmates also display ILI from December 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Individuals experiencing influenza symptoms may visit one of the over 3,000 contracted healthcare facilities that carry government-funded antivirals in the nation for medical treatment and voluntarily inform their physician of their ILI. At the same time, physicians are urged to heighten vigilance for patients with influenza and timely prescribe government-funded influenza antiviral drugs to eligible patients without the use of a rapid influenza diagnostic test in order to ensure prompt treatment, prevent further transmission of the disease, and reduce the occurrence of severe cases and deaths. The list of eligible patients are as followed:

• (1)persons meeting the case definition of persons with influenza-related complications;
• (2)pregnant women who have been evaluated to need prompt treatment with antiviral drugs;
• (3)patients with ILI who are aged below 5 and above 65;
• (4)hospitalized patients with ILI;
• (5)persons with ILI and major illness and injury, immunodeficiency, or chronic disease who are at risk for influenza infection;
• (6)patients with ILI who are morbidly obese (i.e., BMI ≥35);
• (7)ILI cluster cases confirmed by the medical officer at Taiwan CDC;
• (8)persons meeting the case definition of novel influenza A virus infections;
• (9)close contacts of highly probable cases novel influenza A virus infections and confirmed cases of novel influenza A virus infections;
• (10)culling and cleaning workers who work at locations with confirmed cases of animal influenza ;
• (11)ILI patients whose family members/coworkers/classmates also display ILI.

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).