On October 21, 2014, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced this year’s twenty-first indigenous measles case confirmed in a 24-year-old male who resides in central Taiwan. The case lives in Renai Township, Nantou County. He works part-time in a fast food restaurant in Taichung City. On October 9, he developed fever, runny nose and rash. On October 13, he sought medical attention in Puli Township, Nantou County. On October 15, he was reported to the health authority as a suspected measles case. On October 21, infection with measles was confirmed in the case. Since the case had not traveled overseas prior to his disease onset, it was determined the case is an indigenous case. To prevent further transmission of the disease, the health authorities has implemented a number of prevention measures and compiled a list of 198 contacts, including his family members, classmates, coworkers and health care personnel and other patients at the medical institute where he sought medical attention, to monitor and follow up until November 1. Currently, none of the contacts has developed any suspected symptoms.

Taiwan CDC urges people who might have come into contact with the case while he was infectious (October 5 and 13) to stay vigilant for the development of symptoms such as fever and rash, seek immediate medical attention when the aforementioned symptoms develop and notify the doctor of the relevant exposure history.

Measles is a highly infectious respiratory disease that is spread by contact with droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected person, either directly or through aerosol transmission. An infected individual remains infectious four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after the rash erupts. Nevertheless, measles is vaccine-preventable. In Taiwan, the existing routine childhood vaccination schedule recommends a dose of MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine to children 12 months of age and another dose to first graders in elementary schools. Unvaccinated infants and children, including those who do not receive vaccine in a timely manner and those who have never been infected with measles, are high-risk groups. Taiwan CDC once again reminds parents the importance of timely vaccination for children. In addition, people who recover from measles are immune for the rest of their lives.

Taiwan CDC advises physicians to stay vigilant for suspected measles cases and report such cases to the health authority immediately facilitate the implementation of subsequent measures to prevent the further spread of the disease. If symptoms pertaining to measles infection such as fever, rhinitis and rash develop, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the physician of relevant travel and exposure history. For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922.