Keeping Ebola out of Taiwan is a top priority, Premier Jiang Yi-huah emphasized today.
Jiang asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and related agencies to increase their vigilance and to strengthen port and airport border control measures, particularly oversight of travelers from nations that have already experienced outbreaks of the disease.
If anyone is suspected to have contracted Ebola, appropriate response mechanisms should be activated immediately to keep the situation under control, the premier stressed.
Jiang gave these instructions after a briefing by the MOHW on the nation's preparations in response to this global epidemic.
On August 8, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency and called for a coordinated international response. The MOHW swiftly raised its alert level for the virus and emphasized four strategies: health education for those leaving Taiwan, inspections and quarantines of those entering it, domestic preparedness and drills, and international cooperation.
Jiang asked the MOHW to continue monitoring the latest developments, adjust preventative measures in a timely fashion, and guarantee the nation's safety from epidemics.
The outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has claimed over 3,000 lives, with at least 7,000 people infected.
Given the ease of global travel, nations are unable to eliminate the possibility of the disease coming within their borders, the premier said. The outbreak originated in West Africa, but people infected with the virus have already entered the United States, and an indigenous case has been reported in Spain.
Judging from the spread of the virus, the efficacy of epidemic prevention is affected by not only the sufficiency of medical resources but also by the knowledge and alertness of health care personnel and the public, noted Jiang.
According to news reports about the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the U.S., the hospital overlooked the patient's having returned from an affected area and thus failed to make a correct diagnosis, missing out on the best opportunity for controlling the virus. The premier thus requested the MOHW to conduct more publicity activities at all levels of medical institutions and through various channels to raise awareness of the virus among health care staff and the public.
"For instance, the average person with symptoms like fever and vomiting can go directly to a hospital for treatment; however, anyone who develops these symptoms within 21 days of returning from a trip overseas should first call 1922 (Taiwan's hotline for epidemic prevention)," said Jiang.
Based on its experience in fighting the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Taiwan set up a communicable disease medical treatment network, command system and epidemiologist system, which later fulfilled their functions in the prevention of H1N1 swine flu and H7N9 avian flu, the premier indicated.
Considering that the outbreak of new communicable diseases has an element of uncertainty and that such illnesses can spread quickly and pose serious threats to citizens' lives and health, Jiang instructed the MOHW to maintain its present epidemic prevention and emergency mobilization momentum and, if necessary, request assistance from the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration and the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics to increase the number of epidemiologists on the case and the relevant budget, respectively.