In light of the recent importation of asuspected MERS-CoV case in a 44-year-old Korean in Chinafrom South Korea,the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has planned three scriptsas the response measure. In the meantime, Taiwan CDC remains in close contactwith both the Chinese and Korean health authorities to closely monitor thedevelopment of the ongoing outbreak in Korea.

Taiwan CDC stated that the suspectedcase flew to Hong Kong from South Koreaon May 26 and then took a bus to Shenzhen from Hong Kong.As of May 29, Taiwan CDC has obtained the list of 166 passengers on the sameflight. If the suspected case is confirmed to have contracted MERS-CoV, TaiwanCDC will provide the list of passengers to the National Immigration Agency andwill implement preparedness and response measures outlined in the 3 scenariosand 3 scripts the agency planned for potential importation of a MERS-CoV case(Please see attached figure).

On the other hand, on May 29, the SouthKorean health authority announced two additional MERS-CoV cases in a56-year-old male patient and a 30-year-old female healthcare worker. Both ofthem had contact with the index patient. According to the World HealthOrganization (WHO), since September 2012, a total of 1,139 laboratory-confirmedcases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 431 related deaths, have beenconfirmed. In addition, since May 26, Korea has reported 6 more cases.MERS-CoV cases continue to occur around the world. Thus far, MERS-CoV has beenreported in 24 countries. The majority of the cases were reported in the MiddleEast, including Saudi Arabia,UAE and Qatar.Among these countries, Saudi Arabia has reported the most cases. Inaddition, most cases have travel history to these affected areas prior to theirdisease onset. Since 2012, Taiwanhas reported 16 suspected MERS-CoV cases and MERS-CoV infection has beeneliminated in all of them. Currently, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice ofLevel 2: Alert for MERS-CoV to Saudi Arabia,and a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for MERS-CoV to UAE, Jordan, Qatar,Iran, Oman and Bahrain.

Although most of the MERS-CoVcases reported to date were confirmed in the Middle East,the importation of the disease remains possible through frequent internationaltrade and travel. Hence, physicians are urged to remain vigilant for suspectedcases. Travelers planning to visit countries in the Middle East are urged to pay attention to personal hygiene, respiratoryprotection and hand cleanliness and avoid visiting any farms and all directcontact with camels, including drinking un-pasteurized camel milk, to reducethe risk of infection. If you have experienced symptoms such as fever, cough orinfluenza-like illness, and diarrhea upon your arrival in Taiwan, pleasenotify the quarantine officer at the quarantine station at airports/harborsimmediately and put on a surgical mask and seek immediate medical attention andinform your physician of any recent travel and exposure history. Taiwan CDCurges physicians to stay vigilant and reinforce the reporting of suspectedcases to ensure prompt treatment and subsequent implementation of the relevantprevention and control measures. For more information, please visit the TaiwanCDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable DiseaseReporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).