A total of 88,725 flu-like illnesses were reported and 49 cases of serious flu-related complications were confirmed last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, warning that flu cases in neighboring countries have also been increasing.
The number of flu-like illnesses reported nationwide increased last week and exceeded the epidemic threshold, marking the peak period of the flu season, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
The CDC last week confirmed a total of 49 serious flu complications, the highest weekly level this flu season, Lo said, adding that the majority were infected with the influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (71.4 percent) and the influenza A virus subtype H3N2 (24.5 percent).
The CDC has observed that the main circulating virus over the past few weeks has been changing from the H3N2 strain to the H1N1 strain, which was the main circulating virus in a serious flu outbreak three years ago that left many middle-aged people with serious complications, he said.
The mortality rate of middle-aged people with serious flu complications in the 2015-2016 flu season was as high as 8 percent, he added.
While 24, or about 49 percent, of last week’s 49 confirmed cases with serious flu complications were people older than 65, 15 cases, or 30.6 percent, were people aged between 50 and 64, Lo said, adding that middle-aged people should be more cautious and take preventive measures.
While there were no flu-related deaths confirmed last week, the number of cases with serious flu complications this flu season — which began on Oct. 1 last year — has reached 237, including 18 deaths, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
The H1N1 strain is also circulating in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China, where the numbers of cases are increasing rapidly, Lo said, warning people who plan to visit those areas to avoid crowded spaces with poor air quality and to practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
People who experience cold or flu-like symptoms should wear a surgical mask and seek attention at medical facilities that provide government-funded antiviral flu drugs, but they should seek immediate treatment at larger hospitals if they begin to experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain or bloody sputum, or become unconscious or have other signs of serious complications, he said.
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