The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a public health emergency of international concern due to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa today (August 8) and made the following suggestions regarding the affected countries: declare a national emergency; establish a command center for overall monitoring and management; ensure sufficient medical resources and protective safety measures for medical personnel and other people in possible contact with infected persons and contaminated articles; implement temperature screening on major roads and international ports; enforce exit controls; and restrict large assemblies of people. Moreover, these are suggestions for countries with confirmed cases and their neighboring countries: establish a surveillance system for unidentified fever and death clusters and lab diagnosis capacities, and practice these suggestions in affected countries if an epidemic develops. For other countries like Taiwan: general tourist, economic and trade activities need not be restricted; information on the relevant risks of traveling to epidemic areas should be provided; accurate information about the epidemic situation and protection measures should be provided to citizens; surveillance, investigation, and patient treatment capacity should be strengthened; assistance should be given for evacuating and welcoming nationals exposed to the risk of infection. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) invited the regional heads of the Communicable Disease Prevention Network to give advice. The domestic response level is being enhanced by the establishment of the “Ebola Virus Disease Emergency Response Team”, thus reinforcing four major tasks, i.e., “health education for outbound travelers, quarantine inspection for inbound travelers, domestic preparation/drilling, and international cooperation”. The epidemic development is being closely monitored and timely adjustments in the response and preventive measures will be made.
The CDC revealed several important measures against this current outbreak:
1. Providing information for outbound travelers at airports and travel medicine clinics, reminding citizens to take precautions when traveling to affected areas.
2. Pool resources from the Immigration Agency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide “Prevention of Ebola Virus Disease” health care card (as attached) for inbound travelers coming from affected areas, including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. It reminds them to consult a doctor as soon as possible if feeling sick after entering the country and take the initiative to tell their doctors about their travel history.
3. Contingency hospitals in various regions should be well-prepared to mobilize and treat patients at any time, having completed a review of HEPA isolation wards and stocking up on personal protective gear, as well as manpower training and drilling exercises. Also, the drilling of specimens containing the Ebola virus has been completed in collaboration with the National Institute of Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of National Defense. In addition, education for domestic medical personnel and the prevention of infections in hospitals will be continually reinforced.
4. International Health Regulations, health representatives stationed in Geneva, Switzerland, disease prevention physicians at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in Europe, first-hand information about the WHO’s and other countries’ disease prevention practices are intertwined. Hence, domestic disease prevention work can be coordinated internationally.
The CDC changed the name of “Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever” to “Ebola virus disease”, and amended the case definition and related guidelines according to the WHO’s information. Hospitals are also asked to reinforce reporting and hospital infection control and to remind medical personnel to increase protective measures.
The CDC issued “Level 3: Warning” travel notices for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, meaning that citizens are advised not to go there unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, the travel notice for Nigeria is suggested as “Level 2: Alert”, meaning that travelers should increase their vigilance when going there, avoid visiting hospital patients or contacting a patient. Upon returning from epidemic areas, travelers should carefully monitor their health for 21 days. Should discomfort or symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, etc. appear, consult a doctor as soon as possible and take the initiative to tell him or her about one’s travel and contact history. Doctors should report these cases and treat patients in an isolation ward within 24 hours when a suspected case of Ebola virus disease is found. Healthcare personnel should take proper protective steps and be put under health surveillance to check for relevant symptoms for 21 days after contact.
For information about the disease, please visit the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov.tw), or call the domestic toll-free prevention hotline 1922 (or 0800-001922).