In light of the recent Ebola cases among healthcare workers that occurred in Spain and the United States, at 8am on October 14, 2014, the Ministry of Health and Welfare Acting Minister Lin Tzou-yen visited the Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) to oversee the ongoing preparedness and response efforts and instructed Taiwan CDC to request regional-level and above hospitals to reinforce the implementation of nosocomial infection prevention and control guidelines and ensure all frontline healthcare workers are trained in the proper donning, wearing and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to protect their safety, prevent the possible spread of the Ebola virus in Taiwan, and ensure the health and wellbeing of the public.

Although Taiwan CDC has expressed that the risk of imported Ebola virus is low according to an assessment, the risk cannot be eliminated. In addition, the recent occurrence of Ebola cases among healthcare workers in Spain and the United States further highlights the importance of public health and health care system preparedness and increased border quarantine measures. When confronting infectious diseases, healthcare workers are at the highest risk of contracting the disease. Therefore, protecting the safety of healthcare workers is the first and foremost priority. Taiwan CDC will request all regional-level and above hospitals to train their frontline healthcare workers the proper donning, wearing and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to ensure their safety and the safety of the patients. Besides raising the awareness and knowledge of travelers about Ebola at ports and airports and making in-flight public announcements on all incoming international aircrafts to remind travelers of the necessary precautions, Taiwan CDC also issues the Ebola Virus Disease Travel Health Notice to all inbound passengers arriving from areas affected by Ebola to reinforce border control.

Taiwan CDC recommends the public to avoid all nonessential travel to Ebola-affected areas in West Africa, including Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Travelers are urged to monitor their own health for 21 days after their return to Taiwan. If symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea or rash develop, please call the toll-free hotline 1922(or 0800-001922), follow Taiwan CDC’s personnel’s recommendation closely in seeking medical attention and voluntarily inform the doctor of any recent travel and exposure history to facilitate diagnosis and treatment. On the other hand, physicians are advised to stay vigilant for suspected cases, inquire about such patients’ travel history, and notify the health authority immediately of any suspected cases to facilitate implementation of subsequent measures such as case reporting, specimen collection, isolation of patients, and placing contacts in quarantine in order to prevent further transmission of the disease. For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at: www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).