The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it has listed 54 contacts for health monitoring after a Japanese man tested positive for measles upon returning to Nagoya on a Starlux Airlines flight from Taipei.
The man, a Japanese national in his 30s, flew from Taipei to Nagoya on Friday last week, CDC spokeswoman Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
The CDC said it launched an investigation after Starlux relayed the information from Japanese health authorities and identified 54 contacts from the flight: 15 crew members and 39 passengers.
Photo: Lin Huei-chin, Taipei Times
Thirty-four of the contacts were Taiwanese and five were Japanese, Tseng said.
Immigration records showed that 21 of the 34 Taiwanese have already returned to Taiwan, while the other 13 have not yet re-entered the country or might have traveled to other destinations, she said.
All airline crew members are vaccinated against measles, but the vaccines do not provide 100 percent immunity, so they have been asked to practice self-health management for 18 days, Tseng said.
None of the crew members have shown any symptoms so far, and would be monitored until May 5, she added.
As for the 21 Taiwanese who have returned, the CDC said it has forwarded their information to the health departments of 11 cities and counties — Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli County, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Yunlin County and Kaohsiung — for tracking and health education.
They would also be monitored until May 5, it added.
The CDC on Wednesday contacted its Japanese counterpart through the International Health Regulations framework to request the patient’s case details and his travel history within Taiwan, Tseng said, adding that Japan has acknowledged the request and is gathering the information.
