Taiwan reports 3 new measles cases; source of domestic infection unclear

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) Taiwan reported three new measles cases last week, including two imported from Vietnam and one domestic infection involving a man living in Taoyuan, with the source of his infection still under investigation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

The domestic case involves a Taiwanese man in his 20s, who developed a fever and sore throat last Tuesday and was initially diagnosed with a common cold at a clinic, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said at a regular news conference in Taipei.

"Two days later, a rash appeared on his face, so he went to the emergency room for treatment," Lin said, adding that he was diagnosed with measles on Monday.

CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said the Taoyuan man was not a direct contact of any previously confirmed case, but his housemate had been listed as a contact of an imported case from Vietnam, as the housemate and the infected individual visited the same medical facility.

The Taoyuan man was also present but did not enter the facility, Lo said, noting that his housemate has not shown any symptoms and had not been diagnosed with measles as of Tuesday.

Whether there was any overlap in movement between the Taoyuan man and the imported case, as well as the precise source of infection, remains under investigation, Lo added.

Three household contacts of the Taoyuan man have been identified and are under health monitoring until April 22, while 128 individuals have been listed as contacts of the two imported cases, with their monitoring also set to continue until the same date, he said.

In the two imported cases -- a Taiwanese man in his 30s and a Vietnamese woman in her 20s -- they arrived in Taiwan from Vietnam on March 24 and March 25, respectively, according to CDC press materials.

The woman developed a rash on March 25, while the man showed the same symptom last Thursday. They were confirmed to have measles last Tuesday and this Monday, respectively, the CDC said.

As of Monday, Taiwan had recorded 22 confirmed measles cases since the start of 2025, including eight domestic infections and 14 imported cases -- all from Vietnam -- according to a CDC news release.

Domestic and imported case numbers represent the highest in the same period for the past six years, the CDC added.

Meanwhile, the second dose of a vaccine targeting the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 become available on Tuesday for three high-risk groups, including seniors aged 65 and older, Indigenous people aged 55-64, and people with weakened immunity, according to the CDC.

Lo said that although the COVID-19 outbreak is currently at a low point, another wave of infections cannot be ruled out this summer due to ongoing virus mutations.

The CDC urged all eligible individuals to get a second dose of the vaccine as soon as possible, while reminding the public that there must be an interval of at least 180 days between the first and second jabs of the JN.1 vaccine.