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Taiwan to launch on-board flu checks on flights from America

ROC Central News Agency

2009.04.28 20:07:57

By Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 28 (CNA) Every flight from America that arrives in Taiwan from April 29 onward will be subject to a strict on-board screening procedure in an effort to prevent the entry of a new strain of swine influenza, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced in a statement Tuesday.

The first flight to undergo the procedure will be EVA Airways flight BR017 from San Francisco, which is scheduled to land at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5: 10 a.m. that day, the CDC said.

The statement said the CDC decided to take the unusual step under the instruction of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and following a resolution of the Executive Yuan's command center for prevention of A/H1N1 swine flu outbreaks that have been reported in Mexico, the United States, Canada and several other countries.

CDC Deputy Director-General Shih Wen-yi said it is impossible to predict when the procedure will be lifted.

In addition to Taiwan, Japan has already taken the same measure for flights from Mexico, said Shih.

He continued that when an affected flight arrives at the airport, all passengers will be asked to stay in their seats until quarantine officials board the plane and give them a hygiene lecture and information on the new type of flu.

The officials will also screen every passenger and anyone with flu-like symptoms, including coughing and sore throat, will be kept on the plane for further checks, Shih said.

Those passengers allowed to leave the aircraft will still have to pass a temperature reader once inside the airport.

If the officials cannot eliminate the possibility of swine flu infection, those who are suspected of being infected will be taken directly to a hospital for further checks, Shih went on, adding that those who do not show signs of infection at the airport but who develop symptoms after entering the country will be requested to report to the CDC, he added.

According to border surveillance statistics, around 50 flights from the U.S. and Canada had landed over the past three days, bringing more than 15,000 travelers into the country.

Shih said five of the travelers were found to have a fever upon arrival, but all were declared uninfected with swine flu.

Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau also activated an emergency checking mechanism Tuesday at the country's largest seaport.

The outbreaks in Mexico and the U.S. have prompted the World Health Organization to raise its alert level to phase 4 on a scale of six, indicating a significantly increased risk of pandemic.