The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged parents to refrain from taking newborns or toddlers to overcrowded public spaces during the Lunar New Year holiday after it confirmed that a six-day-old baby contracted this year’s first enterovirus infection with severe complications.
“The boy was born on Jan. 20 in southern Taiwan. On Jan. 26 he showed loss of appetite and reduced vitality. His condition deteriorated on Feb. 5, as he suffered from enlargement of the liver, acute respiratory distress syndrome, blood coagulation dysfunction and a low blood platelet count,” CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) told a press conference in Taipei.
Liu said the newborn was later diagnosed with Coxsackie B5 virus. He was discharged on Saturday after proper treatment.
It is likely that the boy contracted the virus while staying with his mother in the hospital ward, Liu said, presumably from contact with asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Physician Philip Yi-chun Lo (羅一鈞) said there have been only three cases of Coxsackie B5 virus infections in the nation in the past eight years, all of which were newborns, including this year’s new case, a two-month-old baby in 2008 and a six-day-old infant last year.
“Parents should take their kids to the hospital to screen for enteroviruses once they start showing decreased energy and drowsiness, to prevent further complications from an infection,” Lo said.
Although it is not the peak season for enteroviruses, toddlers should nevertheless avoid overcrowded public areas, as their immune system might not be strong enough to ward off the viruses, which are typically transmitted through the fecal-oral route, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
Chuang also advised expectant mothers to alert their doctors if they have a fever, upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea and muscle pains within two weeks before their due date.
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