Taiwan measles cluster outbreak comes to an end: CDC

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) The most recent measles cluster outbreak in Taiwan has come to an end, with no new cases recorded since all contacts of confirmed cases this year completed health monitoring, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

From the beginning of 2024 to Tuesday, Taiwan reported a total of nine measles cases, including five domestic and four imported cases, with three clusters identified, comprising two domestic clusters and one cluster on an aircraft, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.

As of March 24, a total of 1,918 contacts of the nine confirmed cases had been listed for health monitoring, all of whom completed the monitoring period of at least 18 days without testing positive, Tseng said.

"The current measles cluster outbreak [in Taiwan] can be considered to have come to an end," Tseng said, adding that as it is currently a season prone to measles outbreaks, the public is reminded to pay attention to hand hygiene to reduce the possibility of another outbreak.

According to information from the CDC, measles is still widely spread internationally, with Japan reporting 11 cases, South Korea 13, and China 81.

In the Americas, the United States has reported 64 cases, and Canada at least 40 cases, both higher than in recent years, with cases appearing nationwide.

In Europe, Austria has reported over 200 cases, the United Kingdom over 500, and Romania more than 7,000.

Measles is a highly contagious disease, and an individual can infect others four days before and after a rash appears, the CDC added.