Authorities in Taiwan announced late Monday night they will establish a "central epidemic command center" as dengue fever cases have reached nearly 10,000 since the start of summer.
Cases of the mosquito-borne disease have risen to 9,862 on the island since May, with 8,666 cases reported in the southern city of Tainan and 1,030 in neighboring Kaohsiung, Taiwan's disease control center said on Tuesday.
An island-wide command center will be established if reported cases reach 10,000 in total or 1,000 in Kaohsiung, said a senior official from the island's executive branch Monday morning. The health bureau in Kaohsiung reported over 1,000 total cases just hours after the announcement, prompting the decision to set up the center late Monday.
The center's first meeting is expected to be held late on Tuesday and to be attended by senior executive officials, representatives of related departments and local governments, and health experts.
It is the third time the island has formed a command center targeting dengue fever, with the first one set up in 2006 and the other in 2010.
