President confident H1N1 outbreak will be brought under control
ROC Central News Agency
2009/08/29 13:48:35
Taipei, Aug. 29 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou expressed confidence Saturday that the current outbreak of influenza A(H1N1) in Taiwan will be brought under control with the measures being taken by health authorities.
Addressing the issue in the latest issue of his weekly online video journal, Ma said greater public awareness of the new flu strain is needed but people should not panic over the situation.
According to Ma, the epidemic prevention measures adopted by Taiwan since April are not inferior to those of other countries, and thanks to efforts made by the Central Epidemics Command Center (CECC), an H1N1 epidemic was delayed by more than one month.
On his decision not to activate the national security mechanism for the time being to deal with the situation, Ma explained that he reached the decision after reading three different opinions by various segments of analysts in the country.
Those who support activating the national security mechanism immediately believe that it will facilitate widespread use of medication by the authorities to control the epidemic before a vaccine against the virus becomes available in mid November, Ma noted.
However, some are concerned that activating the national security mechanism too early can cause unnecessary public panic, he said.
Meanwhile, there are others who think the National Security Council should set up a task force that would maintain close contact with the CECC in preparation for national mobilization at an appropriate time, according to Ma.
Likening epidemic prevention and control to a battle, the president stressed that it involves a "very crucial decision" as to when to issue a command to "open fire." "This must be handled properly. Too much is as bad as not enough," he said.
(By Y.F. Low) ENDITEM /pc
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