Taiwan is hosting a three day international workshop on diagnosing the Zika virus.
The three-day workshop, which begins Wednesday, is jointly organized by Taiwan and the US under the US-Taiwan Global Cooperation and Training Framework Agreement. Three experts from the US and Japan have been engaged to speak at the event. Taiwanese and US officials as well as participants from 12 countries are set to attend.
Taiwan has not yet reported any local cases of Zika. But Steve Kuo, Director-General of the Centers for Disease Control says many experts believe it is only a matter of time before Zika spreads to Taiwan. Kuo said these experts believe that management of the outbreak is key.
The workshop will feature a US-made testing kit that can detect the Zika virus as well as the viruses responsible for dengue fever and chikungunya. The kit shows results in three hours, and will be added to Taiwan’s diagnostic toolkit.