Taipei, April 21 (CNA) In anticipation of the upcoming inauguration of a national research center for mosquito-borne diseases, Premier Simon Chang (張善政) said Thursday that the government looks forward to strengthening the country's disease research capacity and enhancing its efficiency in the prevention and control of dengue fever and Zika virus.
The center will open branches in the southern cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung Friday.
The government decided to set up the center after Taiwan experienced its worst dengue fever outbreak on record last year, when more than 43,000 cases of the disease were reported nationwide from May to December, the majority of which were in Tainan and Kaohsiung.
During a weekly Cabinet meeting Thursday, Chang said the epidemics of infectious diseases have become increasingly severe in recent years, which he said has raised the difficulty of disease prevention and control.
For example, he said, global warming has sped up the breeding of mosquitoes and resulted in their migration from tropical regions to sub-tropical and even temperate zones.
Also, air pollution has weakened the immunity of the respiratory system, making it easier for pathogens to infect humans, and the convenience of global transportation has allowed infectious diseases to spread faster, he said.
He said after the research center officially begins operation, it should develop its own specialties to distinguish itself from other existing research institutions.
(By Tai Ya-chen and Y.F. Low)
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