The 22nd indigenous case of dengue fever in Kaohsiung this year has been confirmed, with a woman hospitalized after seeking treatment, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Friday.
The woman, who is in her 40s, lives in the city’s Sanmin District (三民). She was found to have been infected with dengue virus type 4 following an antigen test for nonstructural protein 1, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
She was then required to be hospitalized.
Photo provided by the Centers for Disease Prevention
The woman first sought medical help on Wednesday after developing a fever, muscle pain, headaches and joint pain, but the treatment was ineffective, Chuang said.
She likely caught the disease in a market in her neighborhood where she shops two or three times a week, Chuang said.
Two other people who have been diagnosed with the disease have spent time near the market, he said.
This indicates that there is probably a mosquito breeding site near the market, he said.
To eliminate the incidence of the mosquito-borne illness, CDC and local government personnel on Friday disinfected areas in and around the market, and also asked households in the area to clean up potential mosquito breeding sites.
Of the 22 indigenous cases in Kaohsiung, 19 have been in Sanmin, all in the past four weeks, CDC data showed.
The city has also reported 29 imported cases of the disease this year.
Later on Friday, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that he was concerned that dengue fever could spread further in Kaohsiung.
The central government has set up a task force to help contain the disease, Chen added.
It is extremely important that households eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites, especially after thundershowers, with the peak season for dengue fever running from August to November.
Kaohsiung is usually the area in Taiwan hardest hit by dengue fever, as the tropical disease more easily spreads in warmer temperatures.
Dengue fever affects an estimated 100 million people worldwide every year. Common symptoms include fever, rashes, malaise, nausea, vomiting and muscle pain.
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