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Enterovirus infection on the rise: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday confirmed nine new cases of severe enteroviral infection, bringing to 36 the number of cases so far this year.

Of the 36 children who developed severe complications from the infection, 16 contracted the virus from elder siblings who often show only mild symptoms of infection, CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Chih-hao (周志浩) said.

One of the latest cases involved a three-year-old boy in Tainan City, who was diagnosed early this month with a severe infection. The source of the infection was traced back to his six-year-old brother and five-year-old sister, who were infected but only suffered mild symptoms, Chou said.

Specialists say that individuals who contract the virus from other patients and those under the age of four are particularly vulnerable to getting a serious enteroviral infection.

Referring to data collected from the Department of Health’s Sentinel Physician Active Reporting System, Chou said 2.26 out of every 1,000 people receiving medical checkups last week were infected with enterovirus, up significantly from 1.97 of every 1,000 persons in the previous week.

Over the past month, Chou said, as many as 39 percent of cases tested by CDC-contracted laboratories have been identified as enterovirus type 71 (E71) — the deadliest type of enterovirus.

While 43 percent of children aged five and under are not immune to E71, as many as 90 percent of those aged four and under lack any immunity to E71, the CDC said.

Enteroviruses are the most common cause of aseptic meningitis and can lead to serious complications, especially in young children.

In 1988, the nation experienced a severe outbreak of E71, with 405 children infected and 78 deaths.

During another E71 outbreak in 2005, 145 children were infected, 15 of whom died.


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