Taiwan is stepping up preparatory measures and working with other countries to keep citizens safe from the Ebola virus, government officials said Tuesday at a "Straight Talk" teatime event for foreign journalists.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-general Steve Kuo, who hosted the event, said that the most worrisome problem for health officials right now are symptomatic patients who are reluctant to disclose their travels to Ebola-affected areas, and who seek medical attention on their own rather than calling the CDC's Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline.
To reduce the possibility of Ebola infection, travelers from high-risk areas are required to submit an Ebola Declaration Card upon landing at the airport. Those with suspected Ebola symptoms should dial 1922 for disease consultation.
As for international cooperation, Kuo stressed that Taiwan must collaborate with other countries as disease knows no boundaries.
"Taiwan is more than willing to join the global fight against Ebola. President Ma Ying-jeou has pledged to donate 100,000 items of protective clothing and US$1 million in cash. Medical experts will also be dispatched to help West Africa control the outbreak."
In addition, officials from Taiwan's Field Epidemiology Training Program are communicating with U.S. and Nigerian disease control centers to learn about their assistance measures for West Africa and to discuss how Taiwan can help by sending health personnel, Kuo said.
Through Taiwan's direct contact window with the World Health Organization (WHO), which was set up following Taiwan's inclusion into the WHO's International Health Regulations mechanism in 2009, Taiwan is able to access information on international Ebola outbreaks and WHO response measures.
"Taiwan is also cooperating with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) to join their efforts against the Ebola epidemic. We are sharing experiences in virus detection, disease diagnosis, patient treatment, as well as quarantine and evacuation of medical personnel," said Kuo.
The second featured speaker at Tuesday's event was Dr. Michael Malison, a professor from Emory University in the United States who retired from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year after a lifetime of service to global health. Thirty years ago, he helped start Taiwan's FETP and has since significantly aided the country's international cooperation efforts on disease control. For his contributions, Malison was presented with the Order of Brilliant Star by President Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday morning.
In his remarks, Malison affirmed Taiwan's emergency response capabilities for Ebola, saying he was present during a recent inspection of the CDC by Premier Jiang Yi-huah and was impressed by how organized Taiwan's response is.
Given the complexity of Ebola's potential risks, the key to dealing with the outbreak is to prevent transmission at the source, Malison said, hence it is essential that all countries come together as global partners. Over the past three decades, Taiwan and U.S. disease control centers have built a robust partnership. Though Malison has retired, he believes the U.S. center stands ready to provide advice and technical assistance to Taiwan if circumstances require.
Lo Yi-chun, chief medical officer of the CDC and an epidemiologist at National Taiwan University Hospital, shared his experiences in Nigeria early in the Ebola outbreak when he was dispatched to provide guidance and assistance to Taiwanese businesspeople and compatriots living there. Lo identified two factors that helped Nigeria clear itself of Ebola quickly whereas other West African countries are still being ravaged by the disease.
First, Nigeria promptly established a transmission tracing task force and deployed dozens of medical personnel to track cases in infected zones. Second, learning from past experiences, the country set up an emergency response center and applied the appropriate mechanisms to the Ebola outbreak, which allowed international experts to come into the center quickly and provide assistance.
Furthermore, Nigeria set up emotional counseling groups at the outset of the outbreak to alleviate anxiety and worries among patients and the public. This is an area that Taiwan can learn from, Lo said.