The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that the outbreak of the dengue fever in Tainan could turn around at the end of this month.
Although the outbreak in Tainan is serious, CDC Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said that he can see light at the end of the tunnel.
The latest data showed that the number of cases diagnosed since May 1 had reached 5,948 as of Sunday, an increase of 406 from the day before. Among the new cases, 363 were in Tainan, by far the worst-hit area in the country, with 5,247 reported infections since the start of May, the CDC said.
Photo: CNA
The cases reported in Tainan on Sunday were from people who contracted the disease about one or two weeks ago, the CDC said.
“The centers will need to observe for one or two more weeks before it can be sure if the situation has turned around,” he said, adding that the outbreak appears to be showing signs of easing off.
However, if there are no signs of improvement, the CDC will have to reconsider its strategy and take further action, he said.
The CDC does not see a need to set up a central command center in Tainan, Kuo said.
However, if the outbreak runs out of control and the Tainan City Government make such a request, a central command center would be set up to facilitate communication between the central and local governments, he said.
Taiwan has in the past decade set up such centers in cases of serious disease outbreaks, but Kuo said this was not a “good division of labor” between the central and local governments.
According to the CDC, 26 deaths from “suspected” dengue cases have been reported this year, 25 of which were in Tainan and one in Kaohsiung. Among them, 10 were confirmed to be dengue deaths and two were ruled out, with the cause of the other 14 cases yet to be determined.
The CDC yesterday also urged the public to take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes when traveling to Southeast Asian countries that also have serious outbreaks of dengue fever.
CDC statistics show that Malaysia reported 82,181 dengue cases from January to last month, including 225 fatalities. The most serious outbreak was in Selangor, where the Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located, with 45,362 cases.
It was followed by Johor with 9,449 cases; Perak with 7,144 cases; and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with 5,318 cases.
Thailand has also reported more than 55,000 cases, with 42 fatalities. The number in Vietnam increased by 55 percent from the same period last year, mainly in the northern parts of the country and in Ho Chi Minh City. The number of cases in Singapore was twice the average of the past five years.
Asked about a suggestion by Taiwanese expatriates in Southeast Asia that consuming red guava could help fight the disease, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that any effect would probably be limited to replenishing fluid.
Dengue fever patients develop symptoms that include fever and low blood pressure, resulting in dehydration, he said.
Drinking water or unsweetened fruit juice is a better source of hydration than eating red guava, he said.
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