The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed seven flu-related deaths and two cases of the measles, and warned that as the flu season is at its peak, people should take precautions to avoid infection during the Lunar New Year holiday.
With the exception of a four-year-old girl, who developed complications of encephalitis and pneumonia, the other six — three men and three women — were aged between 52 and 93 years old, had chronic diseases and developed pneumonia.
Six of the deceased had been infected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus and one with the influenza A (H3N2) virus, the CDC said.
Photo: CNA
Thirty-four flu-related deaths — 21 from the H3N2 virus and 13 from the H1N1 virus — have been confirmed since Oct. 1 last year when the flu season began, it said.
As of yesterday, 57 people had serious flu complications from influenza type A viruses this week, it said, adding that so far this season, 406 people have been confirmed to have serious flu complications — 217 from the H1N1 virus and 106 from the H3N2 virus.
As the flu season commonly peaks around the Lunar New Year holiday, the CDC estimated that outpatient and emergency-room visits for flu-like illness would exceed 115,000 cases during the nine-day holiday, which begins today.
There would be 156 healthcare facilities that provide outpatient clinics specializing in flu-like illness open during the holiday, and government-funded influenza antiviral agents are available at 4,323 contracted healthcare facilities across the nation, which can be found on the CDC’s flu prevention Web site antiflu.cdc.gov.tw, it said.
People should not underestimate the flu, because it can become extremely serious, the CDC said.
Elderly people, infants, young children, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases have a higher risk of developing serious complications, so people should take precautions to avoid infection and seek immediate treatment when flu-like symptoms occur, it said.
The CDC also said that it had confirmed two new measles cases.
A man in his 30s from northern Taiwan was infected with the disease when he was working in Binh Duong Province in Vietnam in December, it said, adding that the other case involved a woman in her 50s from central Taiwan, who had not recently visited any other countries.
Eighty people who have had direct contact with the two are to be monitored until Feb. 12, the CDC said.
As the six imported measles cases reported this year were from the Philippines and Vietnam, and because the disease is spreading in several nearby countries, the CDC said that people should receive a measles, mumps and rubella vaccination before visiting those countries.
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