[民視英語新聞 96.08.01]

A couple with tuberculosis is undergoing treatment in Taichung after being brought back from China earlier this week. But local health authorities are facing scrutiny over their handling of the case after it emerged that two other members of the family have also been treated for tuberculosis. With the husband having previously refused treatment for the infectious disease, local health officials are being quizzed as to why they failed to implement tougher measures to force the man to undergo treatment.

After the couple was safely transferred to a quarantine ward in Taichung Hospital, the Center for Disease Control began a check on the family’s medical history. They found that Mr. Lee’s father also had tuberculosis but is no longer infectious after undergoing treatment. Mr. Lee’s ex-wife was also diagnosed with the same largely drug-resistant strain of the disease. With four people from the same family coming down with the disease, questions are being asked about the health authorities’ response. Officials have the power to force those with communicable diseases to undergo treatment.

Jhou Jhih-hao
CDC Spokesman
If the patient fails to take their medication in line with the regulations, local health officials can issue a notification that the patient is to be forcibly quarantined and treated, said CDC spokesman Jhou Jhih-hao. We will have to take a look at this to see why we didn’t fully enforce the regulations.

Meanwhile, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu expressed his anger at not being notified in advance that the couple was to be transferred to a hospital in Taichung. The Center for Disiease Control defended its handling of the matter however, saying there are no regulations stipulating they must first inform the local government before moving contagious patients to their area.

罹患肺結核到中國的李姓夫婦終於回台接受治療，但疾管局發現，除了李姓夫婦之外，包括他的父親，小兒子的前妻，也都感染了多重抗藥性肺結核，由於李先生曾有拒絕服藥紀錄，會不會因此感染了一家人，疾管局坦承當地衛生單位有疏失要追究。

李姓夫婦住進[署立台中醫院]隔離病房後，疾管局詳察李姓夫婦病歷時發現，除了李氏夫婦，李先生的父親也曾罹患肺結核，還好經過治療已不具傳染性，另外，李先生的前妻，也有多重抗藥性肺結核，一家四人得病。依照規定，罹患法定傳染病，疾管局應該有一套強制民眾治療，以防擴散的規則，現在事情演變至今，疾管局難辭其咎

[[疾管局發言人 周志浩]]
“如果沒有按規則服藥的時候
地方的衛生人員是可以(開)
強制隔離治療的這種通知書
這一部分我們會再檢討
我們沒有完全貫徹好規定”

至於有關台中市長對於疾管局將兩人送至台中署立醫院卻沒有事先被通知，表達強烈不滿，疾管局則是認為，做法並無失當，因為沒有任何一個法令規定需要先通知市政府