The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that while the number of flu-like cases dropped slightly last week, the peak season is not over, while enterovirus infections are likely to peak this week.
CDC disease monitoring data showed a 6.7 percent drop in reports of flu-like cases last week, with a total of 119.543 cases reported at outpatient clinics or emergency rooms nationwide.
There were 128,190 cases reported the week before, the data showed.
“We finally saw the number of weekly reported flu-like cases drop for the first time since May,” CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said, adding that the centers think the peak is over.
When the number of mild cases begins to drop, serious complications or death might still be high in the following one to two weeks, which is a result of the peak period, but the numbers will gradually drop along with the number of mild cases, Lo said.
People should still be cautious and maintain good personal hygiene, he said. They should wear a mask when experiencing respiratory symptoms, cover the nose and mouth when sneezing, rest at home when sick and seek immediate medical attention if signs of serious complications occur.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said 29 clustered cases of upper respiratory or flu-like symptoms were reported last week, showing a declining three-week trend.
Among the clustered cases, 20 were confirmed to be the flu, with influenza A (H3N2) the main strain and about 8 percent of the cases being influenza B, Liu said.
In addition, the CDC received reports of 10,618 cases of enterovirus infection last week, a slight increase from the week before.
It said cases this week would likely surpass 11,000 as they enter the peak period.
Newborns are considered a high-risk group for enterovirus infection, so if friends or family are planning to visit newborns, they should wash their hands thoroughly with soap before approaching the baby and refrain from visiting when they have respiratory symptoms.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that a baby of less than one month was reported to have enterovirus with severe complications, marking the youngest case reported this year.
The infant was recovering, Lin said.
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