The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed this year’s first case of indigenous dengue fever in Taipei.
A man in his 30s who lives in Daan District’s (大安) Jianan Borough (建安) developed a fever and muscle pain on Thursday, and sought medical treatment that day, it said.
Medical staff suspected dengue fever when he made a second visit to a doctor on Friday, so he was tested and his case was reported to the agency, it said.
Photo: CNA
The test came back positive, it said, adding that the man is resting at home.
He has not been abroad recently, and lives and works in Daan, but he had visited other cities and counties during the potential infection period, so genome sequencing of the dengue virus in his blood would be conducted to try to determine the source of infection, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
The man visited Tainan and Kaohsiung on Aug. 2 and 3, when he was in Tainan’s East (東區), Annan (安南), Central West (中西區) and North (北區) districts and Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor (興達港), the agency said.
He went to Keelung’s Miaokou Night Market (廟口夜市) on Aug. 10 and was in New Taipei City’s Jioufen (九份) on Aug. 11, it said.
Disease control personnel carried out vector surveillance near the man’s home, and although they determined the risk of infection in the community is relatively low, dengue prevention measures were taken, Chuang said.
The Taipei Department of Health said it has surveyed the dengue vector density and would disinfect the area within 100m of the man’s home.
It found 19 outdoor containers with standing water, including one infested with mosquito larvae, and removed 450g of waste in the area, the department said.
The department plans to spray the neighborhood today, and warned that people who refuse to cooperate or try to hinder the operation could be fined up to NT$300,000 under the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).
People should keep their environment clean by removing standing water from containers, and seek medical attention if they experience possible dengue symptoms, which include fever, headache, pain in the back of the eyes, joint and muscle pain and rashes, the department said.
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