Around 120 people have become ill over the Lunar New Year holiday at a hillside resort in Taichung. Health authorities suspect that an outbreak of the highly contagious norovirus is responsible. They have collected environmental specimens for testing.
On Monday, Deputy Director-General of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Chuang Jen-hsiang called on the public to avoid eating raw food or drinking unboiled water. Chuang said that the virus is very active in winter and spring, and that those who eat out have a higher chance of falling ill.
Chuang urged the public to wash hands before and after meals and after using bathrooms. That’s because norovirus is transmitted through person-to-person contact.
The resort in Taichung has admitted that it’s possible that the virus was transmitted to vacationers through food, as five of its employees had already taken ill.