The Border Quarantine Response to the Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus at Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan, 2015

DOI: 10.6525/TEB.20170822.33(16).001

Shu-Chuan Lin^＊, Min-Ping Hsu, Chen-Nien Jao, Hao-Hsin Wu,Mei-Jung Chen, Jhy-Wen Wu, Kun-Bin Wu

2017 Vol.33 NO.16

Correspondence Author： Shu-Chuan Lin^＊

Abstract：

Since the first case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection (MERS-CoV) confirmed in South Korea on May 20th, 2015, a total of 186 cases (including one confirmed in Guangdong Province, China) and 36 deaths have been confirmed as of July 28. As the cases continuously increasing, the public media tagged the term of new SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) to describe this epidemic. With the awareness of the MERS outbreak in South Korea, the neighboring Asian countries took relevant border quarantine measures for travelers from South Korea. In response to this epidemic, Taiwan established an Epidemic Prevention Response Team on May 22 and implemented six strategies, including strengthening the surveillance and risk assessment of the epidemic, extending international cooperation, sustaining risk communication, upgrading the laboratory capacity, completing medical preparedness, and strengthening the border control. We described the border quarantine measurements conducted at Taoyuan International Airport in response to the MERS epidemic, including harbor internal preparedness, quarantine process enhancement, designated anchor site quarantine and on-board quarantine on exception notice, and education to inbound and outbound passengers.