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Two more cases of dengue in Taipei’s Shilin District

An old home is torn down in Kaohsiung on Thursday. City authorities said tearing down old homes would help eliminate potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying dengue fever. Kaohsiung has had 53 dengue cases this year. PHOTO: CNA

Taipei City Department of Health Secretary-General Chen Cheng-cheng (陳正誠) confirmed yesterday afternoon that two more dengue fever cases had been identified in Shilin District’s (士林) Yunglun Borough (永倫).

The announcement brought the number of dengue infections in Taipei City to 17 cases, with 16 in Shilin and one in Songshan District (松山).

Shilin District head Chang Yi-fang (張義芳) said the Shilin District Office, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, the Dharma Drum Mountain organization and the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection organized a team of 200 people on Friday to help residents in Yunglun and nearby Sheryuan Borough (社園) clean up the area and raise awareness of how the fever is transmitted.

Chang said some residents at first said the clean-up was unnecessary, but later supported the measure after the city’s dengue cases doubled within a week.

Chang said the district office and environmental department had resprayed the two boroughs with pesticide yesterday morning. The office may spray the area again because heavy rain yesterday afternoon might have diluted the pesticide, Chang said.

The health department urged residents to keep their surroundings clean and seek medical help if they develop any of the symptoms of dengue fever, including rashes, joint pain and high fever.

Meanwhile, Han Ming-Cheung (何啟功),director-general of Kaohsiung City’s Department of Health, expressed concern that a dengue outbreak there could worsen after school begins in a week.

There have been 53 dengue cases in Kaohsiung this year, with the majority in Nanzih District.
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