As it is hot and humid in Taiwan during the summer, diarrhea is common in Taiwan during summertime. Thus far this year, a cumulative total of 205 diarrhea clusters have been reported. The majority of them were caused by norovirus, followed by salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In addition, most cases are restaurant and hotel workers. Therefore, the public is reminded to wash hands with soap and water frequently, pay attention to dietary hygiene, and avoid consuming raw food and drinks, particularly shellfish that should be consumed only when thoroughly cooked, when traveling. Restaurant workers are urged to pay attention to personal hygiene when handling food to ensure the food safety of their customers and lower the risk of disease transmission.

Recently, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) hired a polling company to interview 1,100 people aged 18 and above in Taiwan concerning food-borne infectious diseases and relevant control and prevention policies via telephone. The result showed that about 50% of the interviewees did not wash hands with soap and water before meals and nearly 40% of them did not wash hands with soap and water after using the bathroom. About 50% of the people wrongly assumed that vacuum packaging could eliminate the growth of bacteria. Close to 40% of the people wrongly assumed that ingested unsafe food should be thrown up immediately. Almost 40% of the people did not use different cutting boards for handling raw and cooked foods. In addition, although 90% of the people knew that seafood could only be consumed when thoroughly cooked, 30% of the people still did not know shellfish require an additional cooking time of 3 to 5 minutes after the shells open.

According to the surveillance data compiled by Taiwan CDC, during the past four weeks (Week 28-31), the numbers of people seeking healthcare for acute gastroenteritis respectively are 151,225, 150,309, 150,409, and 139,043. During the same period last year, the numbers of people seeking healthcare for acute gastroenteritis respectively are 142,692, 143,972, 136,702, and 140,208. During Week 31, the numbers of people seeking healthcare for acute gastroenteritis is less than that reported during Week 30, which is similar to that during the same period last year.

Taiwan CDC reminds the public to pay attention to food safety and personal hygiene, consume only thoroughly cooked foods, and always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before meals to prevent infection. Further, travelers are urged to pay extra attention to personal hygiene, avoid consuming raw produce or food purchased from dirty stalls, and drink only bottled water in order to lower the risk of infection. If symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting or others that pertain to gastroenteritis develop after returning home from overseas, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the physician of the relevant travel history to facilitate prompt diagnosis and reporting. For any questions or further information, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).