The number of reported flu cases nationwide last week increased by 4 percent, while about 30 percent of influenza A cases involved infections of subtypes that do not match a seasonal flu vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said weekly data indicated a slight growth trend in flu cases, with most infections caused by the influenza A virus subtype H3N2.
However, the number of influenza B infections has been gradually increasing, she said.
Photo: CNA
While the number of cases reported on a weekly basis have increased for four consecutive weeks, the number of serious flu complication cases has not seen similar growth, she added.
A total of 393 confirmed flu cases with serious complications have been reported in the current flu season, which began in July last year, the second-lowest of the past six seasons, with 56 flu-related deaths, Liu said, adding that 82.2 percent of serious cases were caused by subtype H3N2.
“In most seasons, influenza activity peaks a second time in about early March, but it seems to have been delayed until now this season,” CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said, adding that the total number of cases rose by about 2,380 last week.
Reported cases include children who received flu vaccinations this season, but were still infected, he added.
“Changes to the influenza virus are normal and the protection afforded by seasonal vaccines usually last about three to four months,” Lo said. “Nevertheless, vaccinations are still effective.”
Lo urged the public not to worry too much about changes to the virus, saying that people who exhibit flu-like symptoms should still wear surgical masks, cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or napkin when sneezing, maintain a safe distance of 1m from other people when talking and seek medical attention.
Separately, the agency said that the patient in the nation’s first case of suspected rabies infection by a wild ferret-badger — a woman in Taitung County whose eye came into contact with the animal’s saliva last month — has received rabies antibodies and the first three doses of a vaccine.
The woman has not exhibited symptoms of rabies, the centers said, adding that people should avoid approaching or capturing wild animals, while owners of pet cats or dogs should have them vaccinated against rabies each year.
The agency urged people who have been bitten by a wild animal to immediately wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes, disinfect it with povidone-iodine or 70 percent alcohol and seek medical attention at a hospital or health bureau that provides rabies vaccination services.
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