Given Taiwan’s geographic location, a lot of children suffer from EV71 every year. Since 2010, the Department of Life Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST, formerly National Science Council), in conjunction with the EID project and the project of Vaccine Technique Development (VTD) has prioritized infectious disease research. This project aims to implement government strategies for disease control and prevention. The funding has supported over 10 years of research which ranges from the disease mechanism to clinical application, including clinical research, pathogenesis, immunology and epidemiology, establishment of animal model and vaccine development.

Thanks to these years of research, now there is a huge improvement in the understanding of EV71. LAI and CHANG, the co-directors of the EID, fully address the necessity of distributing the correct information to the public and believe this publication can be recommended for the general and medical care staff in Taiwan. To fulfill, EID invited 25 Taiwanese experts (from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Chang Kung University, National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, National Health Research Institute), and appointed Prof. Li-Min Huang of National Taiwan University as the chief editor , to compile the research articles for this book using mostly easy-to-read scientific terminologies to reach the wider readership.

Prof. HUANG outlined the series of the chapters. These chapters give insight into Nation’s surveillances strategies, discussion on the molecular mechanism of replication of EV71 and the development strategies for treatment. Collectively, this experience spans across South East Asia and highlights a great contribution from the scientific field.

As a result it not only allows cooperation with countries in South East Asia, but shares this success and truly valuable expertise. All this work echoes Taiwan’s New South East Asia Initiative by our government. We recommend it as a worthy read and a handy information manual for all the residents in Taiwan. Director General CHUANG from Department of Life Sciences, MOST commented that it is especially valuable to those parents with young kids at home.