The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced yesterday that three more cases of Japanese encephalitis have been reported, bringing the number of cases to 14 this year.
One of the three confirmed new cases was contracted overseas, making it the first imported case of Japanese encephalitis this year, CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said.
A 52-year-old man living in Miaoli County fell ill on June 14 soon after he returned from a business trip to China’s Guangdong Province, Chou said.
The man first sought medical treatment for a headache at a clinic, but visited a hospital in Taipei after his illness became worse, Chou said, adding that the man was released from hospital on Thursday.
Doctors determined the businessman was infected with the mosquito-borne virus during his stay in Guangdong, a known risk area, Chou said.
Chou said another patient — a male from Pingtung County — remains in an intensive care ward after developing symptoms of the disease on June 29.
The third case is a man from Hualien County who visited a clinic on June 27 with a headache and a fever. On July 1, he was rushed to a hospital because of a continuous high fever and he is still being treated, Chou said.
The latter two men live close to rice fields and pig farms, where virus-carrying mosquitoes are known to gather.
“That might be how they became infected,” Chou said.
According to the CDC, mosquitoes become infected by feeding on pigs infected with the Japanese encephalitis virus. The insect then transmits the virus to humans or other animals.
While mild infections can occur with no apparent symptoms other than a fever and a headache, more severe infections are characterized by quick onset high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, coma, convulsions and paralysis.
Chou said the peak of Japanese encephalitis infections usually occurs during June and July each year. He urged people to take precautions and to stay away from pig farms at dawn and sunset, when mosquitoes are most active.
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