Measles vaccination coverage is relatively high in Taiwan, and there is no sign of a local large-scale measles outbreak, Taiwan Immunization Vision and Strategy chairman Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said yesterday.
Lee, who is also the convener of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, made the remark at a news conference in Taipei for the advocacy group when responding to questions about recent local measles cases.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday reported that a cluster of measles cases linked to a hospital in central Taiwan had grown to 16 people, while a total of 33 measles cases have been reported nationwide so far this year, comprising 21 local cases and 12 imported cases.
Photo: CNA
The CDC said that 3,123 people who have had contact with the confirmed hospital cluster cases have been identified and monitored for symptoms, the highest number of contacts monitored for measles in five years.
Lee said there were several clusters of measles in Taiwan, but none had spread widely throughout the country, mainly because the nation’s measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination coverage rate in children is more than 97 percent.
Taiwan’s vaccination policy has enabled it to better control the spread of measles, and so far the recent cluster cases have not shown signs of becoming a large-scale outbreak, he said.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease in which a person can infect on average 12 to 18 people who lack immunity.
As the risk of airborne infection is lower than through direct contact or respiratory droplets, people should avoid close contact with people and crowded venues to prevent infection, Lee said.
The identified contacts should immediately report to their local health department if they develop symptoms of measles, and avoid seeking medical attention on their own, he said, adding that they are advised to wear a mask at most times and avoid going to public venues.
Separately, when asked for comment on the measles cases, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said that Taiwan’s high vaccination coverage among children makes it difficult for a large-scale outbreak to occur.
“The measles situation is under control, and the ministry would continue to monitor the situation and ensure preventive measures are in place,” he said.
Meanwhile, the centers do not recommend the public rush to get vaccinated at this time, unless they are in a high-risk group, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
“Not everyone needs to get vaccinated [now], but only those at higher risk,” Tseng said, adding that the CDC suggests that only three groups seek vaccinations.
The first group is children aged 12 months to five years, who are eligible for two doses of government-funded MMR vaccines, she said.
The first-dose rate coverage of this group has been about 98.7 percent, while the second-dose coverage is about 97.4 percent, she said.
The two groups recommended to seek out-of-pocket MMR vaccination are medical personnel born in or after 1981 who do have not had a positive measles antibody test result within five years and had received their last dose of an MMR vaccine at least 15 years ago; and people born in or after 1981 who are traveling to countries where measles is spreading, such as Vietnam, India or Cambodia, she said.
The latter group is advised to consult with a doctor before getting vaccinated, while measles is not known to be spreading in Japan or South Korea, she added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
RSS