The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported its first imported case of tularemia since 2007.
The patient, a 67-year-old US citizen from San Francisco, California, showed symptoms of fever before flying to Taiwan on June 26.
The man was confirmed to have the disease on Monday after being admitted to a Taipei hospital for fever, pneumonia and a build-up of fluid in his lungs, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said in a press release. However, he was expected to be released from the hospital soon.
The CDC said tularemia is a zoonotic disease, meaning it is transmitted from -animals to humans and cannot be transmitted from human to human. The disease is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which is found in various types of fowl, fish, rodents and mammals, which can be spread through bites, inhalation, or direct contact.
There have been reported cases of the zoonosis in North America, Europe, China, Japan, and the former Soviet bloc. Shih warned people traveling to disease-prone areas to avoid touching animals and eating raw, uncooked meat.
The CDC also reported that imported dengue fever is on the rise. A total of 49 people have been infected, most of whom have been to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.
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