The dengue fever death rate for people older than 55 in Taiwan is about eight to 10 times the rate in Singapore, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, citing a lack of dengue virus antibodies as a possible main cause.
Although the outbreak of dengue fever in the nation appears to be slowing down, the virus has killed several victims this year, which caused the agency to ask its personnel to conduct a comparative study to search for possible reasons, CDC Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said.
The median age of dengue fever fatalities nationally this year is 77 years old, while the median in Singapore in 2013 was only 52 years old, CDC physician Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said, citing statistics from the city-state.
About 40 percent of confirmed cases in Taiwan this year involved individuals over 55 years old, whereas only 14 percent were reported for the same age group in Singapore in 2013, Lo said, adding that “age is a major causal factor that differentiates the number of dengue fatalities in the two nations.”
A statistical comparison of dengue seroprevalence — the number of individuals in a population that have antibodies in their blood serum — between Singapore in 2010 and Tainan in 2007 showed that 90 percent of people older than 55 in the city-state tested positive for dengue antibodies, compared with only 36 percent in Tainan, Lo said.
Due to the prevalence of dengue fever in the city-state, many Singaporeans contracted the disease at least once in their youth and their bodies produced antibodies, Lo said, “while many older Taiwanese are contracting dengue fever for the first time, which, in addition to a weakened immune system or chronic diseases common in individuals of advanced age, might cause severe complications leading to death.”
The results have led the agency to approach a vaccine manufacturer to discuss the possibility of producing a dengue vaccine specifically designed for older individuals, which might be an effective preventive measure for areas where the disease is newly prevalent.
The dengue outbreak in Tainan appears to be slowing down steadily, with CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) citing a reduction in the number of reported dengue cases in the past few weeks.
However, the number of cases reported in Kaohsiung is increasing, Liu added.
The Sanming (三民), Lingya (苓雅), Cianjhen (前鎮) and Gushan (鼓山) districts of Kaohsiung have seen the most significant rise in reported cases, Liu said.
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