The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced yesterday the first confirmed case of Japanese encephalitis in the country this year.
"With 88 percent of the pigs in Pingtung testing positive [for virus antibodies], it comes as no surprise that somebody finally fell ill," CDC deputy chief Lin Ding (
The patient, a 46-year-old female from Pingtung, first complained of sore joints and neck stiffness on May 5.
She did not see a doctor, choosing instead to rely on over-the-counter medication from a pharmacy to treat her symptoms.
However, her condition continued to deteriorate and she was admitted to hospital on May 11, with a 42oC fever and suffering from fainting spells.
The CDC and local health authorities have been monitoring her family and associates for signs of the disease.
None of them has fallen ill thus far.
Japanese encephalitis is spread from pigs to humans through mosquito bites, Lin said.
Although the woman did not live near pigs, she worked in a betel nut field with a pig farm about half a kilometer away.
Japanese encephalitis does not spread from human to human.
Rather, the virus grows inside a pig's body, where it is picked up by Culex mosquitoes, which serve as vectors for the disease.
Widespread vaccination against Japanese encephalitis began in Taiwan in 1968 and people born before this date are often unprotected, Lin said.
There were 29 reported cases of Japanese encephalitis last year, leading to three fatalities, CDC figures showed.
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