With three cases of dengue fever reported since last month, a local doctor has warned that the early start of the infection period may be an indication that the number of local cases will increase this year.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said three cases of dengue fever infection — all indigenous — have been confirmed in Kaohsiung City since the beginning of last month, compared with one reported case during the same period last year.
Huang Kao-pin (黃高彬), director of pediatric infectious disease at Kaohsiung’s Chang Gung Medical Foundation, said indigenous infections should not appear until July or August before peaking in October or November.
“It means that some mosquitoes are carrying the dengue virus during the winter, which results in an early start for dengue fever cases,” said Huang, who is also director-general of the Taiwan Society of Parasitology.
Huang said the number of cases of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever could both be higher this year.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
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