Premier Jiang Yi-huah this morning visited the Central Epidemic Command Center and was briefed by the Council of Agriculture (COA) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on the latest developments and response measures of the rabies outbreak. He directed the COA and MOHW to alert the public on current preventive measures in order to help contain the epidemic.
Taiwan was officially rabies-free from 1959 until a strain was identified in certain animals this year. The premier noted that presently only nine countries are free of the disease, demonstrating its widespread presence in the world.
"As an affected area, we must be alert and learn from other countries' prevention experiences," Jiang said. "Since Taiwan was immune from the disease for over five decades, our medical personnel and the general public have become unfamiliar with preventative measures against it, so we should publicize such methods more.
"Immediately after the first case of rabies was confirmed on July 16, the government set up a task force with the ministers of the COA and the Department of Health (the precursor agency to the MOHW) as conveners. Because the disease threatens to become an epidemic, the Executive Yuan has appointed Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo, who concurrently serves as commander of the Central Emergency Operation Center, to oversee relevant cross-ministerial coordination and make timely decisions," stated the premier.
In response to recent media reports of moles infected by rabies, Jiang directed the COA to complete appraisal of the issue and inform the public of its results as soon as possible.
The premier called on citizens to adopt the "two noes and one yes" method—the two noes being no contact with wild animals and no abandonment of pets and the one yes being giving vaccinations to pets. Animals which have been vaccinated within the past 12 months do not need to be vaccinated again until a full year has passed since the procedure, he proclaimed.
Both pets and strays have to be vaccinated in the counties where rabid Formosan ferret-badgers were found, including Nantou, Yunlin and Taitung, Jiang affirmed. Animal catchers and control agencies have to step up their efforts to capture and shelter stray animals to prevent the disease from spreading further, while pet owners, for safety's sake, should take their animals to veterinarians for vaccinations in an orderly fashion, he said.
The nation's stock of rabies vaccines for human use and immunoglobulin is already sufficient, and even more will arrive next week, so supply for the next 12 months will not be an issue and citizens need not worry, Jiang assured. He asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to continue maintaining sufficient amounts of the vaccine.
The MOHW stated that 28 hospitals currently provide rabies vaccination services. The premier instructed the ministry to increase this number to provide wider coverage and greater convenience to the public.
On the guidance front, this afternoon the MOHW will connect with hospitals and health care unions through the Internet so as to educate the public and medical workers on the frontlines, the premier said. Both the COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine and the MOHW's Centers for Disease Control have established websites on rabies-related information; they are linked on the front page of the Executive Yuan's Chinese-language website to allow citizens to conveniently access information about rabies prevention and control.
While the COA and MOHW are the primary agencies responding to the rabies epidemic, other ministries must also maintain a high level of vigilance and preparation, including the Environment Protection Administration, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transportation and Communications and Ministry of Education, the premier emphasized.
"If rabies were to be found in a school or public place, what the authorities should do in response? How should the EPA sterilize and disinfect the contaminated area? These questions must be answered beforehand," he said.
"All government agencies must work together to prevent the spread of the disease and safeguard our people," Jiang concluded.