SAFETY FIRST:
Personnel conduct tests on blood samples while wearing personal protective equipment at air-filtered laboratories, the minister of health said
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By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNA
Airports are screening travelers who recently visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) or Uganda for Ebola to prevent the disease from spreading, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) told a news conference yesterday following an inspection of the disease control team at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 2.
Taoyuan airport, Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Taichung International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport began conducting the tests on a voluntary basis yesterday and they would continue through June 30, Shih said.
Quarantine officers are conducting complete tests on 5ml blood samples while wearing full personal protective equipment at high-efficiency particle air filter-equipped labs to ensure safety, he said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Health authorities would adjust disease control measures as they monitor developments in the Ebola epidemic, he said.
Airport officials have established protocols to rapidly quarantine and hospitalize people with a recent history of travel in countries affected by the disease who show symptoms, utilizing on-site teams and contracted hospitals, Shih said.
In related news, Centers for Disease Contol Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) told a news conference at the centers on Tuesday that authorities are monitoring two Taiwanese who returned from DR Congo and two who returned from Uganda.
The people are undergoing 21 days of mandatory health self-management, Guo said.
One of the Taiwanese developed a slight fever two days after returning on Wednesday last week, Guo said, adding that the person tested negative for Ebola and was released from quarantine.
As a precaution against Ebola, Taiwan has since Tuesday enacted a 90-day entry ban on citizens of DR Congo and Uganda, including those who had previously been granted a visa, he said.
Upcoming international events being hosted in Taiwan necessitated the measure, he said.
As of Sunday, DR Congo had reported 321 cases of confirmed Ebola, including 48 people who died and six who had recovered, with 220 suspected new cases, while Uganda reported nine suspected new cases, including one person who died, Guo said.
The Ugandan cases were attributed to travel or contact with people with the disease in medical facilities, he said.
Additional reporting by Ho Chia-yu
