1. According to statistics from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of June 19th of this year (108), there have been 21 indigenous dengue fever cases in Taiwan, all residing in Kaohsiung City. Additionally, there are 171 imported cases, with over 90% infected in Southeast Asian countries, primarily Indonesia (58 cases), Vietnam (34 cases), and the Philippines (20 cases). The number of imported cases is the highest for the same period in the past 10 years.
2. During the summer vacation, students frequently travel abroad, study abroad, and interact with neighboring Southeast Asian countries, increasing the risk of imported cases. To protect the health of faculty, staff, and students, schools are requested to cooperate with the following:
(1) Conduct health education and promotion: Educate faculty, staff, and students that when visiting endemic areas, it is advisable to wear light-colored, long-sleeved clothing in outdoor environments and apply mosquito repellent approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to exposed skin. Enhance students' and teachers' knowledge of epidemic prevention and self-protection skills. Remind faculty, staff, and students returning to Taiwan to self-monitor their health for 14 days after entry. If symptoms such as fever, headache, retro-orbital pain, muscle and joint pain, or rash appear, they should seek medical attention promptly and inform the doctor about their travel history.
(2) Epidemic surveillance and reporting mechanism: Schools should keep track of the number, names, and health status of faculty, staff, and students returning from endemic areas. If a confirmed case occurs, the school safety reporting procedures should be implemented to monitor the latest epidemic developments on campus.
(3) If any faculty, staff, or student is infected with mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever or Zika, they should be advised to minimize going out, wear light-colored long-sleeved clothing, use mosquito repellent, and hang mosquito nets when sleeping at night to prevent mosquito bites. They should practice self-management to avoid being bitten again and cooperate with local health authorities in implementing various epidemic prevention measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic on campus.
3. For related information, please visit the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control website (http://www.cdc.gov.tw/) under "International Travel and Health" and "Infectious Disease Introduction / Vector-borne Diseases / Dengue Fever or Zika Virus Infection" for reference, or call the domestic toll-free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 (or 0800-001922) for inquiries.
4. According to Article 25 of the Communicable Disease Control Act, "Local competent authorities shall supervise the extermination of mosquitoes, flies, fleas, lice, rats, cockroaches, and other disease vectors. The owners, managers, or users of public and private places where disease vectors breed shall, upon notification or announcement by the local competent authority, actively clear them." Furthermore, according to Article 70 of the same Act, "Anyone who commits any of the following acts shall be fined NT$3,000 to NT$15,000; if necessary, they may be ordered to make corrections within a specified period, and if they fail to do so by the deadline, they shall be fined repeatedly: 1. Violation of Article 25, Paragraph 2..." Schools are urged to implement mosquito-borne disease prevention and control measures for dengue fever and other diseases to avoid being fined.