Seven flu-related deaths were confirmed last week, but as the number of emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms last week fell below the epidemic threshold, the peak period of the flu season might end as soon as next week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, but warned that people should still take precautionary measures.
There were 82,252 cases of flu-like illness reported last week, a weekly decline of 5.7 percent, CDC disease monitoring data showed.
A total of 55 serious flu complication cases were confirmed last week, of which 78 percent, or 43 cases, were caused by influenza A virus subtype H1N1, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said.
The majority of the cases involved people aged 50 or older, with 51 percent, or 28 cases, involving people aged 65 years or older and 31 percent, or 17 cases, involving patients aged 50 to 64, she said.
A total of 716 serious flu complication cases have been confirmed this flu season, which began in October last year, she added.
Of the seven flu-related deaths confirmed last week, the youngest was a 34-year-old man and the oldest was an 86-year-old, while the other fatalities were people in their 50s, CDC physician Huang Wan-ting (黃婉婷) said, adding that they all had chronic diseases and were not vaccinated against the flu this season.
Although the 34-year-old was not in a high-risk group for contracting the flu, his chronic diseases made him more vulnerable to infection and put him at a higher risk of serious complications, she said, adding that he had been eligible for government-funded vaccination.
Huang urged young people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, chronic liver disease or cardiovascular disease to get vaccinated against the flu.
As of Sunday, there were still about 111,000 government-funded flu vaccines available, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
Among those eligible for vaccination, people aged 50 to 65 have the lowest vaccination rate at 17.9 percent and are advised to seize the opportunity for better protection, Lo said.
As the weekly number of flu-like illnesses has been falling and emergency room visits last week dropped below the epidemic threshold, the CDC could announce the end to the peak flu season next week if emergency room visits remain under the threshold, he said.
However, people should still take precautionary measures against the flu and seek immediate medical treatment as soon as signs of serious complications occur, he added.
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