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Dengue fever hits southern Taiwan hard

"Compared to the last few years, this year's outbreak of dengue fever developed rapidly between June and July, especially in the Kaohsiung region."

Chiang Ying-lung, CDC deputy director-general

Southern Taiwan is experiencing a major outbreak of dengue fever, with an average of 10 confirmed cases being reported every day, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

As of yesterday afternoon, the CDC had confirmed 283 cases, including 202 in Kaohsiung City, 80 in Kaohsiung County, and one in Taipei County.

Kaohiung's Chienchen (前鎮) and Fengshan (鳳山) districts are where the majority of cases of the mosquito-borne virus have been reported.

The CDC says three of the cases have been confirmed as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) -- the more severe form of the disease. DHF can be fatal if not recognized and treated properly.

"Compared to the last few years, this year's outbreak of dengue fever developed rapidly between June and July, especially in the Kaohsiung region," CDC Deputy Director-General Chiang Ying-lung (江英隆) said yesterday.

Last year there were 201 dengue cases reported in Kaohsiung City.

"Reasons for this year's serious outbreak are complicated," Chiang said. "The rapid rise in temperature and the frequent rain showers in the southern part of Taiwan could be major factors."

"Moreover, people tend to ignore the seriousness [of the disease] and stop cleaning their houses to eliminate mosquito eggs and larvae since there has been no major outbreak for the past three to four years," he added.

In an effort to stop the spread of the disease, a cleaning effort launched by the local health bureaus in the Kaohsiung area continued over the weekend. Disinfectants have been sprayed to reduce the mosquito population and containers or other items that can retain water or collect rainwater have been thrown out.

The CDC also announced that anyone failing to clean up their household to eliminate possible mosquito-breeding areas could face fines up to NT$150,000. People who refuse to cooperate with the local health bureaus or hinder the public clean-up efforts could be fined up to NT$300,000.

Dengue fever is caused by one of four closely related, but distinct, virus serotypes -- DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4 -- which are transmitted to humans by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which feeds during the day. It can't be spread directly from person to person.

Symptoms of dengue fever include a high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pain, nausea and rash.

The incubation period for dengue fever is three to 14 days. There is no vaccine against the disease, nor any specific treatment for it. People with dengue fever are normally treated with pain relievers containing acetaminophen or in more serious cases, with fluid-replacement therapy.
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