There have been more confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis so far this year than in the past five years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, while the Taipei Department of Health urged residents to take measures to prevent mosquito bites, after a cluster of cases was confirmed in New Taipei City last week.
June and July are usually peak season for the disease in Taiwan, the department said, adding that while there have been no confirmed cases in Taipei since 2014, a cluster of cases has been confirmed in New Taipei City.
As the two municipalities are closely connected, Taipei residents should be more alert, it said.
A 30-year-old woman in the Cyonglin Borough (瓊林里) of New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊區) was confirmed to have contracted Japanese encephalitis, the CDC said, adding that she has not gone abroad recently, but lives near three people who contracted an indigenous strain earlier this year.
The woman on Saturday last week developed a fever and the next day sought treatment at a clinic and a hospital, it said, adding that her condition was confirmed on Monday and she was hospitalized and is receiving treatment.
Among the six confirmed indigenous cases, four were in New Taipei City and two were in Kaohsiung, the CDC said, adding that there were also 126 people who were infected in other countries, mostly in Southeast Asia.
The department urged people to stay away from rice paddies, ponds and irrigation ditches at dawn and dusk, to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and to apply insect repellent when outside to prevent mosquito bites.
Early symptoms include headache, fever and aseptic meningitis, and can develop into more serious symptoms, including high fever, loss of consciousness, weakness, movement disorders, seizures, coma and even permanent nerve damage or death.
The most effective preventative method is vaccination, department official Ou Chia-ling (歐佳齡) said, adding that babies are advised to get the first dose when they are 15 months old, a second dose a year later and a third dose at the age of five.
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