Premier Jiang Yi-huah at today's Cabinet meeting instructed the Council of Agriculture (COA) and Department of Health (DOH) to step up rabies prevention and quarantine work in order to prevent any residents of Taiwan from contracting the disease.
Jiang gave these orders in response to Council of Agriculture confirmation that the rabies virus was detected in the corpses of wild animals in Yuchi and Lugu townships of Nantou County and Gukeng Township of Yunlin County in recent days. This follows the case of a man found to have rabies in May after contracting the disease in the Philippines, he noted. As yet, no human beings have been found to have contracted the disease inside Taiwan.
These are the first known rabies cases in Taiwan in 50 years, Jiang pointed out. He asked the COA and DOH to be vigilant and cautious in their response, work together closely, step up their monitoring and early warning activities, respond to threats in a timely fashion to ensure potential epidemics are controlled immediately and inform the public through broadcast media of how to protect themselves from the disease—such as by avoiding contact with wild animals or giving their pets vaccinations if necessary—and what to do in case of such an emergency.
Before these incidents, Taiwan was classified as a rabies-free area by the World Organization for Animal Health. It can regain this status if no more rabies incidents occur within the next two years, the premier noted.
Jiang also asked relevant agencies to increase Taiwan's supply of rabies vaccinations for both animals and humans in order to reduce the risk of an epidemic.