Seventeen new cases of dengue fever were reported over the last three days, prompting the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to warn households to pay special attention to areas where water can accumulate as the Central Weather Bureau forecast heavy rains this week.
The CDC said it was closely monitoring developments as the number of reported cases of dengue fever increased by 17 over the last three days to a total of 58 since March.
Fifteen of the new cases originated in or near Gushan District (鼓山), Kaohsiung City.
Local health officials are paying special attention to the area, which has turned into a hotbed of dengue fever infection.
The nation’s first death from dengue hemorrhagic fever this year was a 75-year-old woman from Gushan, who was first infected with one type of the virus — which is carried by mosquitoes — and shortly thereafter by a different strain.
CDC deputy director-general Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said the center was working with local officials to step up mosquito-control efforts and educate residents in the area about cleaning out containers, vases, old tires and other places where pools of water can easily build up and provide an environment for mosquitoes to proliferate.
Health officials said that violators may face fines of NT$3,000 to NT$15,000, and may repeatedly be fined until improvements are made.
The CDC urged those who show symptoms of dengue fever to visit a doctor. These symptoms include fever, headaches, joint and muscle pain, dryness of the mouth and a lack of appetite.
Those who have already been infected with dengue fever should also take special precautions against secondary infection, which could cause dengue hemorrhagic fever, a more deadly disease, to develop, it said.
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