The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that while the number of newly reported cases of severe seasonal flu is increasing by the dozens each week and emergency visits to hospitals continue to climb, many people lack basic knowledge about the flu.
Data collected by the centers showed that last week alone, 21 new cases of severe seasonal flu were reported, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, 13 additional severe flu cases were reported. These are in addition to the total of more than 700 severe flu cases that the CDC has monitored since July.
None of the 13 people who were just diagnosed with severe seasonal flu and are now in intensive care had been vaccinated, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ting (林頂) said.
Photo: Wei Yi-chia, Taipei Times
“Those who are in high-risk groups or are affected by other illnesses are the most prone to develop complications from seasonal flu and should get flu shots,” he said.
Lin said the CDC has seen the number of hospital visits for flu and flu-like symptoms rise for six straight weeks and that hospitals nationwide have reported a 14.5 percent increase in the number of emergency and outpatient visits from flu-like symptoms -compared with last week.
Huang Li-min (黃立民), a pediatrician at National Taiwan University Hospital, said that despite the prevalence of influenza, most people lack knowledge about the disease and only visit a doctor when they have had a high fever for a prolonged period.
“Adults who have high fevers [fevers of more than 38°C] are most likely affected by influenza rather than the common cold,” he said. “In this case, taking over-the-counter medication will not help much.”
Currently, the most common types of seasonal influenza in the country are A(H1N1) and A(H3). While common colds might not be a big cause for worry, adults who develop high fevers, experience sore muscles and joints and other flu-like symptoms should visit a doctor within 48 hours rather than take over-the-counter drugs in order to avoid allowing the flu condition to become severe, Huang said.
The CDC said that vaccines are effective prevention against catching the flu and that those who have not been vaccinated should wash their hands especially frequently.
Those experiencing discomfort in their respiratory system, such as a sore throat and nasal congestion, should wear facemasks or avoid going out, the CDC said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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