Premier Jiang Yi-huah today warned the Cabinet of the rising risk of a large outbreak of dengue fever in Taiwan, saying that even though most dengue fever cases have taken place in Kaohsiung City this year, the number of cases has climbed quickly to its highest in recent years.
In addition, the recent gas explosions in the city combined with heavy rainfall in southern Taiwan have created pools of stagnant water, which can facilitate mosquito breeding and make it more difficult to control vector-borne diseases, Jiang continued. Dengue fever is currently in its peak season around the world, and the situation is serious in nearby Southeast Asian countries.
The premier instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Environmental Protection Administration to work aggressively with local governments on dengue fever control. The Ministry of National Defense was also asked to continue mobilizing armed forces to help clean up the disaster area and launch emergency preventive measures.
Meanwhile, Jiang directed the Kaohsiung City Government and local agencies to raise the public's awareness and remind citizens to clean up possible breeding sites. He hoped that the cooperative efforts of central and local governments will stem the spread of the disease as soon as possible and safeguard the people's health.
As for MOHW's request for NT$30 million (US$1 million) from the Executive Yuan's secondary reserve fund to control dengue fever in Kaohsiung, Premier Jiang agreed in principle and instructed the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics to process the request quickly and in accordance with the regulations.