About 270,000 Taiwanese were treated last week for symptoms associated with infectious diarrhea, the highest weekly number in six years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The infections occurred in clusters, mainly among children under seven, the CDC said.
It said that so far this year, 26 cluster infections have been reported, mostly at schools and hotels.
During the Lunar New Year holiday, about 120 people at the Hoya Resort Hotel Wuling developed norovirus infections, which is a type of infectious diarrhea, the CDC said.
It said another norovirus outbreak occurred among the staff at a hotel in the Alishan National Scenic Area.
The 270,000 infectious diarrhea cases reported from Feb. 22 to Saturday represent the highest weekly number since January 2009, the CDC said.
The outbreak is likely to continue through the Tomb Sweeping holiday from April 3 to April 6, and might even escalate because of the expected increase in travel during that period, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
The primary symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are watery stools and vomiting, while other symptoms include headache, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea and muscle pains, the CDC said.
It urged members of the public to wash their hands frequently and eat only well-cooked foods.
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