The Center for Disease Control yesterday called for the public to guard against dengue fever, after the first case of locally contracted dengue hemorrhagic fever -- a particularly deadly form of the disease -- was reported Wednesday in Kaohsiung City.
"In children and those with weaker immunity, the mortality of dengue hemorrhagic fever could rise between 15 percent and 50 percent," said Lin Ting (
The latest patient, a 29-year-old male, was diagnosed with dengue hemorrhagic fever and hospitalized on Oct. 5. He was discharged on Oct. 9.
"In his case we are lucky," Lin added, "because he is a robust youth."
But the first case in Kaohsiung City was a sign that the mosquito-transmitted disease has spread from rural boroughs to urban neighborhoods, the center warned.
Since July, the number of dengue fever cases in the island's humid, sultry southern regions has steadily climbed, despite official efforts to sanitize hard-hit areas and monitor each patient.
The number of locally contracted dengue fever cases has soared to 111 nationwide, according to the center's latest statistics. Ninety-three locally-contracted dengue cases are confined to Pingtung City.
In Pingtung and Kaohsiung, however, there are new trends in the epidemic. In Pingtung City's Yongan (
The center said that they sent local health staff to the affected areas to spray pesticide. The center also urged residents in Pingtung and Kaohsiung to clean their flower pots and get rid of abandoned tires holding stagnant water, in which the virus-carrying Aedes mosquitos breed.
Mosquitoes can transmit the disease for around eight to 12 days after biting a virus carrier. The disease's incubation period is five to eight days. Symptoms are fever, muscle aches and a runny nose.
If mosquito control measures aren't strictly observed, health officials said, a second wave can follow two or three weeks after an initial outbreak.
"Once there is no news of an outbreak, people think they are safe and stop cleaning," said Lee Tsui-chung (
The center appealed for public cooperation.
"Once the wave of dengue fever rides through the fall and winter, the disease will be rooted here like it is in Southeast Asian countries," Lin said.
If the tropical disease begins to appear year-round in this country, Lin said that the center will only be able to prevent patients from dying -- not prevent them from getting the disease in the first place.
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