Page 98 - 2022 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

laboratories and installation units with highly dangerous pathogens and toxin use/ storage. In 2021, the document inspections of security management were completed at 20 biological laboratories.
(2) In 2021, the MOHW assisted 12 high containment and tubercle bacillus negative pressure labs in adopting the Lab Bio- risk Management System and assisted 17 antibiotic resistance testing research related labs in establishing the Lab Bio-risk Risk Management Manual. As of the end of 2021, 123 laboratories of any biosafety levels established or introduced said management system. These laboratories were used as demo labs for the government's promotion of self-management capabilities at labs.
(3) As of the end of 2021, there were 581 installation units that possessed and used pathogens and biotoxins in Risk Group 2 or above, with their categories and numbers shown in Table 6-2.
▏Section 3 Research and Laboratory Testing
1. In 2021, a total of 120,802 specimens were tested, of those, 24,012 were found to contain a pathogen or tested positive for a related antibody, yielding a positive rate of 19.9%.
2. Surveillance of enterovirus and respiratory virus prevalence in the community was
implemented, and screening for COVID-19 infection was expanded. The precision testing and surveillance of at least 13 new and old treatment medicines for drug-resistant of tuberculosis was enhanced to improve the effectiveness of pandemic prevention measures.
3. The MOHW participated in the global norovirus surveillance plan and shared molecular epidemiology and pathogen information. The new nanopore technology was applied in real- time surveillance of pathogens, genotypes, and abnormal pathogens in diarrhea clusters.
4. A total of 18,498 specimens from suspected cases of vector-borne infections were tested. In 2021, there were 12 imported cases of dengue fever, 1 case of chikungunya virus infection. In addition, 28 Japanese encephalitis cases, 292 cases of scrub typhus, 30 cases of endemic typhus fever, 10 cases of hantavirus infection, 9 cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), and 32 cases of Ehrlichia were found.
5. Assisted Taiwan Blood Services Foundation to analyze the nature of correlation in alleged cases of hepatic viral infection transmitted through blood transfusion to clarify the correlation of the pathogen to the blood donor and receiver so that relevant aid can be administered. In 2021, there were no suspected cases of viral infection transmitted through blood.
Table 6-2 Numbers of Entity Types by Laboratory Biosafety Management in 2021
Category Types
(note)
Government Agency
Medical Institution
Academic Research Institution
Other
Subtotal
Total
Institutional Biosafety Committees
24
162
57
335
578
581
Biosafety Specialist
0
0
0
3
3
96
Source : Taiwan Centers for Disease Control
Note : If the number of employees in installation units keeping or using pathogens and biotoxins in Risk
Group 2 or above is more than 5, the installation unit shall set up an "Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs)." If the number is less than 5, a biosafety specialist shall be assigned. The establishment of an IBC and appointment of a biosafety officers shall be reported to Taiwan CDC, MOHW.