The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that 2,127 domestic dengue fever cases were reported last week, adding to a total of 6,464 cases this year, and while COVID-19 cases have reached a low, weekly hospital visits for influenza and enterovirus infections have exceeded the epidemic threshold, so people should remain alert and watch for warning signs of severe complications.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said the 2,127 new local dengue fever cases reported last week include 1,971 cases in Tainan, 86 cases in Kaohsiung, 38 cases in Yunlin County, seven in Chiayi County, five in Taoyuan and four or fewer cases in seven other cities and counties.
She said a total of 6,464 local cases have been reported this year, in more than half of the cities and counties in the nation, and that eight severe cases and three deaths were confirmed last week.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
CDC physician Su Chia-ping (蘇家彬) said the three people who died were all men in Tainan aged between 40 and 80, adding that they had underlying health conditions and died within seven days of the onset of symptoms.
One of the cases was a man in his 40s who had hypertension, diabetes and a chronic nervous system illness. He was hospitalized on the day he developed symptoms, but died of heart failure the next day, Su said, adding that elderly people, people with chronic diseases and other high-risk factors should especially watch out for the warning signs of severe complications after infection.
CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that to provide better healthcare to dengue fever patients, the CDC has referenced the WHO’s triage guidelines and classified patients into three categories.
Category A is dengue patients without warning signs — such as abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, lethargy or restlessness, and mucosal bleeding — and who are able to follow a doctor’s instructions, Tseng said, adding that they should drink plenty of water and rest at home.
Category B is patients with warning signs and high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, infants, older people, people who live alone or in remote areas, or those who have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, chronic liver disease or hypertension, she said, adding that they would be hospitalized.
Category C is patients who have one of three conditions — severe plasma leakage (including shock, fluid accumulation with respiratory distress), severe bleeding or severe organ involvement (liver damage, myocarditis, encephalopathy or encephalitis), she said, adding that they would need emergency treatment or referral to a medical center.
Asked if accumulated local case numbers could exceed 10,000 this year, Tseng said according to the center’s simulations, it is possible that the total number would be between those in 2014 (about 15,000 cases) and 2015 (about 43,000 cases), and late next month would likely be the peak season of dengue fever infections this year.
Lee said the average number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 44 per day last week, which is a relatively low level, but there were 88,323 hospital visits for flu-like illness, 39 cases of severe flu complications and 11 flu-related deaths.
Tseng said that number is expected to continue growing in the next four weeks until government-funded flu vaccinations begin on Oct. 2.
There were 12,163 hospital visits for enterovirus infection last week, Lee said, adding that the weekly numbers have been higher than the epidemic threshold of 11,000 visits per week for four consecutive weeks, so parents should remain vigilant and watch for warning signs of severe complications.
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