The Center for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed after a detailed examination that 15 of 19 people who fell ill with fevers in southern Taiwan had contracted melioidosis. The Department of Health denied that the outbreak has been caused by a complication of melioidosis and other bacteria, and said that it will continue to conduct laboratory tests to try to find links between various bacteria and the disease.
"Probable melioidosis cases are reported by hospitals. The department is very cautious about the disease, so we ran various detailed tests on the patients to confirm [whether they had contracted] the disease," CDC Deputy Director Shih Wen-yi (
While the cause of the outbreak has not been confirmed, the health department said that Typhoon Haitang -- that caused widespread flooding last month -- could have played a role in spreading the disease.
"We believe that the heavy rain in the wake of Typhoon Haitang brought bacteria that had been hidden in the soil to the surface and caused the spread. However, we don't yet know the real cause of the outbreak," health department officials said at a press conference in Kaohsiung County yesterday.
According to statistics obtained from the CDC, a total of 19 people contracted the disease between July 11 and yesterday. Seven patients had succumbed to the disease and three remained in intensive care units, with nine others in hospital. The majority of the patients lived along the heavily polluted Erjen Creek that runs through Tainan and Kaohsiung counties.
Shih said that melioidosis cases have been seen sporadically in the past. Compared to the 19 cases reported in the past two weeks, there had been only 22 cases reported for the entire year before July 11.
Wang Li-shin (
Shih disagreed, saying that laboratory tests, although still in progress, have shown no signs of leptospirosis complications so far. He said that if used without caution, antibiotics may cause the bacteria to develop a resistance to treatment and will not help to control the disease.
Huang Li-ming (
Besides the recent typhoon, the heavily polluted Erjen Creek is also believed to be a cause of the outbreak. The Water Resources Agency at the Ministry of Economic Affairs promised to dredge the creek and improve the state of the environment along the river.
The CDC continued to urge the public, especially people with diabetes, weak immune systems or open wounds, not to expose themselves to polluted water or soil. People who suffer from fever or frequent vomiting should seek medical attention without delay.
Also known as Whitmore's disease, melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the burkholderia pseudomallei bacterium. The bacterium is usually found in contaminated water or soil and infects humans and animals through direct contact.
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