TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾管署), the island's national public health authority, announced on Tuesday (April 15) two new domestic measles infections in infants under 1 year of age. Health officials traced both cases to exposure at a medical clinic where the children encountered a previously identified 1-year-old boy who had contracted the disease in Vietnam. This latest development brings the cluster to three confirmed infections, constituting the second measles outbreak in Taiwan this year.
Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉), director of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Center, revealed that Taiwan has documented 26 measles infections as of Monday, affecting individuals from young children under 10 to adults over 60 years of age. The outbreak consists of 10 locally transmitted cases and 16 imported infections, with Vietnam identified as the source of all foreign-acquired cases. Guo emphasized that the current infection rate represents a six-year high for this period.
According to CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青), the two newly infected infants had visited the same clinic as the original imported case during overlapping time periods. Both children exhibited classic measles symptoms, including characteristic rashes and fever, approximately 10 to 11 days after their exposure to the virus. Laboratory tests subsequently confirmed measles infections in both patients. Health officials reported that one infant has already returned home, while medical staff are finalizing discharge arrangements for the second child.
CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) provided reassurance that health screenings of clinic staff have yielded no positive results among healthcare workers. The current outbreak consists of one imported case and two domestic transmissions, while an earlier cluster detected between late February and early March included one foreign-acquired infection and one local case. Lin further disclosed two additional recent imported cases: a toddler from central Taiwan and a woman in her 30s from the northern region, both having recently traveled to Vietnam. Health authorities have issued guidelines for identified contacts, advising an 18-day health monitoring period, avoidance of crowded public spaces, and consistent mask usage to contain potential transmission. ★