Transnational Health Monitoring of Infectious Diseases- Experience of the First Imported Case of Rubella in 2015

Abstract

With increasing international economic and touristic exchanges, the vehicles that business and recreational travel relied on, having the characteristics of long duration, adjacent seat, and confined space, are prone to transmission of air- and droplet- borne infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, measles, and rubella. This article reported our experience of epidemiologic investigation and contact tracing of the first imported rubella case in 2015, and explored the difficulties, obstacles and concerns of transnational health monitoring of infectious diseases under time constrain. Our recommendations are: requesting pre-employment immunization certificate for those workers with higher exposure risks, providing a free dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine for women of child-bearing age who are tested negative for rubella antibody, refining operational protocols for prevention and control of communicable diseases, establishing standard operations and interface for synchronous match between the National Immigration System and the National Household and Conscription Registration System, and cultivating front line colleagues to prioritize resources on the prevention and control of communicable diseases more efficiently.