Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/13
By: Ku Chuan and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) An imported case of malaria was confirmed on Monday, the first in Taipei this year, Taipei City’s Health Department said on Wednesday.

The patient, a 22-year-old Taiwanese woman who stayed in Malawi in southern Africa for two months from October to December 2015, had a fever on Jan. 5 and has been hospitalized, according to the department.

Citizens who plan to go abroad should check if their destinations are malaria risk areas and have to take precautious measures at least one month before their departure, said Chen Shao-ching (陳少卿), a health official in the city.

Since the incubation period of the Plasmodium parasite which cause the disease can survive for months or even years, people who have traveled to those areas need to go see doctors and tell them their travel history if they developed symptoms of fever, fatigue or headaches, said Chen.     [FULL  STORY]