On June 13, 2017, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced one cluster of imported dengue and influenza cases. On June 5, two travelers in the same tour group were detected with fever by the fever screening system at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Both were tested positive for dengue virus using the dengue NS1 rapid assay. The quarantine officer on site immediately provided mosquito repellent and relevant health education to them to lower the risk of transmission into the local community. To prevent the further spread of the disease, the local health authority has implemented various prevention measures. According to the epidemiological investigation, the tour group consisting of 16 group members, including the tour guide, visited Sabah, Malaysia during June 1 and 5.  Besides the aforementioned 2 confirmed dengue cases, 9 other group members developed cold-like symptoms and fever. After following up, they were all tested negative for dengue virus, but 5 were diagnosed with novel influenza A virus infection.

Recently, the numbers of suspected indigenous and imported dengue cases have been on the rise. Thus far this year, a cumulative total of 93 imported dengue cases have been confirmed in Taiwan. Imported cases were mostly from Southeast Asian countries. During the recent one month, most imported cases came from Malaysia, followed by Thailand, Vietnam and the Maldives. So far, no indigenous case has been confirmed. Last year, a cumulative total of 380 indigenous dengue cases and 363 imported dengue cases were confirmed. Travelers visiting dengue-affected areas are urged to take precautions against mosquito bites such as wearing light-colored clothing, long sleeves and long pants, applying officially approved mosquito repellent to exposed parts of the body, staying at accommodations installed with window screens, screen doors or air conditioners. When experiencing respiratory symptoms, please put on a surgical mask and be sure to cover mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief when coughing or sneezing. If signs of severe complications such as breathing difficulty, shortness of breath, cyanosis, blood-stained mucus or thickening of mucus, chest pain, change of consciousness, or low blood pressure develop, please seek immediate medical attention to ensure prompt treatment and follow the doctor’s instructions in taking the influenza antiviral drugs in order to lower the risk of complications.

As the summer travel season is just around the coroner and there are all kinds of infectious disease outbreaks happening all over the world, travelers are urged to look up outbreak information at their travel destination on the Taiwan CDC’s website (http://www.cdc.gov.tw) prior to their trips in order to take appropriate measures to ward off infectious diseases accordingly. If symptoms such as fever, cough, diarrhea or rash develop during the trip or after returning to Taiwan, please voluntarily inform the quarantine officer at the airport or port for relevant assistance and health education. If symptoms develop within 21 days of returning to Taiwan, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the doctor of the recent travel history to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment. 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).