For the case of a man in Taitung County bitten by a rabies-infected Formosan ferret-badger, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) delivered the human rabies vaccine to the patient on the night of July 23, 2013 and the man received the vaccine and a shot of immunoglobulin in the morning of July 24. Taiwan CDC will continue to closely monitor his condition. In light of this incident, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Council of Agriculture (COA) immediately set up a rabies prevention inter-ministerial working group, chaired and coordinated by the Minister of MOHW Chiu Wen-ta with the following main resolutions:

1. In line with the recommendations for high-risk post-exposure vaccination by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), therapeutic vaccines and immunoglobulin will be provided by the government. However, the pre-exposure rabies vaccine will remain available through purchase. Taiwan CDC will supply the available human rabies vaccine to the post-exposure high-risk group and will continue to import rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin.

2. MOHW is currently working to increase the number of healthcare facilities where the public can receive rabies vaccination in order to ensure that rabies vaccination sites are available in every city and county in the country. At the moment, there are 25 hospitals in Taiwan offering the vaccine, increased from 15.

3. For people working with animals and requesting pre-exposure vaccination, COA will coordinate the request and evaluate individual risk assessments to determine the vaccination priority, and then contact those individuals to receive vaccination when the vaccine supply has been replenished.

4. Relevant authorities will urge immediate reporting of rabid animal sightings among the general public to the local animal epidemic prevention agencies. Close interaction and communication between the agriculture and health departments must been maintained.

Taiwan CDC has notified healthcare facilities, according to the released Clinical Management Guidelines for Suspected Rabid Animal Bite Cases, to provide relevant trainings to their healthcare workers in order to ensure proper case evaluation and treatment.

Taiwan CDC urges the public to avoid feeding or contact with wild animals and not pick up sickened animals by hand. If bitten or scratched by wild animals, immediately wash the wounds with soap and clean water for 15 minutes and disinfect the wound with iodine or 70% alcohol and promptly seek medical attention for proper evaluation and treatment to reduce the risk of infection. Taiwan CDC reminds clinicians who encounter wild animal bite cases to remember to record the location where the bite occurred, the animal species that made the bite, and whether the animal has been retained for observation. If a patient is qualified for post-exposure vaccination, please contact a Taiwan CDC Regional Center or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, to facilitate the application for rabies vaccines.