Taiwan tightly monitors visitors from flu states

Taiwan tightly monitors visitors from flu states

Taiwan wants visitors from four Asian countries hit by bird flu to test their own health for 10 days after arriving on the island, the Center for Disease Control said in Taipei on Thursday.

Beginning Monday, visitors from Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam will be handed a booklet at airports in Taiwan asking them to take their own temperatures each morning and evening during the 10 days following their arrival, the center said in a news release.

If they show symptoms of bird flu, such as fever, coughing, or a sore throat, the visitors should immediately begin wearing surgical masks and contact a local health department, the news release said.

The center also advised Taiwanese traveling to affected areas to avoid contact with poultry.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has swept through poultry populations in many parts of Asia since 2003, jumping to humans and killing at least 62 people regionwide and resulting in the deaths of tens of millions of birds.

Most human cases have been linked to contact with sick birds.

No cases have been reported in Taiwan yet, but citizens of the island frequently visit Southeast Asia for business or pleasure, and thousands of workers from the countries hit by bird flu are employed on the island. -- AP