Five indigenous dengue fever cases have been confirmed over the past three days, but there are signs that the spread of the disease is slowing, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that people are still advised to remain cautious and take preventive measures against mosquito bites.
The five cases were three men in their 60s or 70s in Taichung — two in Dali District (大里) and one in East District (東) — a man in his 60s in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊) and a woman in her 60s in Kaohsiung’s Sanmin District (三民), the CDC said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that Dali is a high-risk area where many dengue cases have been confirmed, but the case reported in East District was the first in that area.
The man in East District visited Dazhi Park (大智公園), which is on the border of Dali, a number of times during the incubation period, so he might have contracted the disease there, Chuang said.
The man in Sinjhuang lives about 600m from high-dengue-risk farms in Fengnian Borough (豐年), where previous cases have been reported, Chuang said, adding that the woman lived only 80m from a person who last month was confirmed to have the disease and was reported to have mostly stayed at home during the incubation period.
The Kaohsiung Department of Health said that the woman reported fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting on Monday last week and sought treatment on Friday.
She had been outside near her home when the symptoms began, the department said.
The department said it would investigate whether the woman concealed her illness for five days, increasing the risk of spreading the disease.
She could be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 under to the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).
Local health bureaus have arranged for disease control inspectors to visit homes and disinfect the surroundings of those who have contracted the disease, the CDC said.
Chuang said that considering the number of confirmed cases earlier this year, the epidemic appears to be slowing down, but with heavy rainfall nationwide, people should still be cautious and keep their surroundings clean to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
According to CDC data, 117 indigenous dengue cases have been confirmed this year, with 65 in Taichung, 33 in New Taipei City, seven in Kaohsiung, six in Chuanghua County, two each in Taipei and Chaiyi County, and one each in Taoyuan and Tainan.
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