More people get measles in hospital cluster case: CDC

Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) Seven new measles cases, including several involving medical professionals, have been recorded in a cluster that developed in a central Taiwan hospital, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday.

The seven new cases brought the total number in the cluster to 12, making it the biggest outbreak of measles in Taiwan in the past five years, the CDC said.

Last week, the CDC said the cluster was triggered by a 40-year-old man who developed a fever, a sore throat, rhinitis and other symptoms on Dec. 1, the day he returned to Taiwan after visiting relatives in Vietnam.

He was hospitalized the next day, causing a cluster of infections in the hospital, according to the CDC.

Of the seven additional confirmed cases reported Wednesday, three involved female nurses in their 20s, a female doctor in her 40s, and a female cleaner in her 30s at the central Taiwan hospital, which has not been identified.

The other two involved a hospital staffer in his 20s and a person in their 50s who came down with the disease while accompanying a relative seeking treatment at the hospital.

The seven cases developed symptoms between Dec. 14 and Dec. 19, and developed rashes between Dec. 17 and Dec. 21.

According to the CDC, it is closely monitoring 1,014 people who might have come in contact with the patients until Jan. 8, 2025.

The CDC said that in response to the mass gathering incident, the hospital launched an MMR vaccination plan for all hospital employees (including temporary and social workers) on Dec. 19, leading to the vaccination of 1,149 people.

MMR vaccinations are not compulsory in Taiwan, leaving people vulnerable to the disease.

Taiwan had recorded 26 cases of measles this year as of Dec. 23, consisting of 17 domestic cases and nine imported cases.