Two cases of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infection that resulted in serious complications were reported last week amid increasing enterovirus cases in the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
A total of 9,450 enterovirus infection cases were reported last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said.
While the enterovirus epidemic season in the nation has ended, the latest cases include four infections by the more serious EV-D68 strain, with two of them leading to serious complications, Liu added.
The two cases involved a four-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl, both from central Taiwan, CDC physician Huang Wan-ting (黃婉婷) said.
The children were coughing, had a runny nose and fever, and started showing signs of fatigue about six days after the onset of the symptoms, Huang added.
In both cases, the symptoms were accompanied by acute flaccid myelitis, or inflammation of the spinal cord, and the patients have been hospitalized for treatment, she said.
Unlike herpangina — mouth blisters — or hand-foot-and-mouth disease, which are more common symptoms of enterovirus infection in children, the symptoms of EV-D68 infection include a runny nose, sneezing, coughing and an aching body, and the patient might have serious fatigue in some rare cases, Huang said.
Parents should watch for the symptoms and seek medical help as soon as they occur, she said.
Fifteen cases of EV-D68 infections, including four with serious complications, have been reported in Taiwan this year, Liu said, adding that the cases were more serious than those reported last year or the year before, so the CDC would hold a meeting of medical specialists to discuss enhanced prevention measures.
EV-D68 is transmitted from person to person through contact with contaminated feces or through respiratory secretions, including those discharged by coughing or sneezing, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
While most EV-D68 infections cause only mild symptoms, about 1 to 5 percent of cases lead to acute numbness or weakness of the limbs, and might even affect the respiratory system, he said.
The best way to prevent EV-D68 infection is the same as other enteroviruses — by maintaining good personal hygiene, washing hands often with soap and water, and covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, Lo added.
People diagnosed with enterovirus infection should avoid crowded places and get plenty of rest, he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese