On February 9, 2011, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced the first imported case of measles confirmed this year.The case is a 28-year-old Swiss student who currently goes to school in northern Taiwan.During December, 2010 and January, 2011, the case traveled to India for research and then visited Hong Kong for a week.After returning to Taiwan on January 28, 2011, the case developed symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and fatigue. On February 3, the case developed full-body rash.On the same day, the case sought medical attention at the emergency department at a hospital in northern Taiwan.On the following day, the case was reported to the health authority and was placed in an isolation ward for further treatment.On February 7, measles was confirmed in the case.Judging from the incubation period for measles, it is determined that the case is imported.As the case was still infectious when seeking medical attention, Taiwan CDC personnel has compiled a list of about 400 contacts, including emergency department patients, ward patients and medical personnel at the hospital, to monitor and follow up.Further, as a post-exposure prophylaxis, on February 9, eight contacts who are aged below one year and at higher risk of measles were given immunoglobulin to prevent measles infection.Currently, all other contacts are being monitored for their health and no suspected case has occurred.Taiwan CDC reminds parents to ensure their children have measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination to prevent their children from measles infection.

Over the recent years, measles outbreaks have occurred all over the world, including neighboring countries such as China, countries in Southeast Asia and India and advanced countries such as UK and Switzerland, which is mostly a result of low vaccination rates.According to the surveillance data compiled by Taiwan CDC, over the recent years, about ten to several tens of measles cases are reported in Taiwan each year and a number of nosocomial clusters had occurred due to imported cases.Taiwan CDC points out that as there are still ongoing outbreaks in neighboring countries such as China and countries in Southeast Asia, imported cases of measles are inevitable due to frequent international travel.Taiwan CDC will continue to promote vaccinations for the unvaccinated population and reinforce contact tracing of suspected cases.Further, Taiwan CDC will also reinforce quarantine inspection of and provision of educational materials to travelers arriving from Southeast Asia and China as an attempt to prevent importation and further transmission of the disease.The public and medical care institutions are urged to cooperate with the government on disease control efforts.

The best way to prevent measles is vaccination.In Taiwan, the existing routine childhood vaccination schedule recommends a dose of MMR vaccine to children 12 months of age and another dose to first graders in elementary schools. Taiwan CDC once again reminds parents the importance of timely vaccination for children and avoid taking unvaccinated young children to high-risk areas such as China and countries in Southeast Asia to protect their children and prevent importation of the virus.

Taiwan CDC also urges medical care institutions to stay alert. If a patient develops symptoms pertaining to measles infection such as fever and rash, the physician should consider the patient’s recent travel history and vaccination history when diagnosing and report any suspected cases to the health authority as soon as possible.In addition, people who return from endemic areas and seek medical attention should inform the physician of their recent travel history to facilitate diagnosis and prompt treatment.