Eight people died of the flu last week, while the peak influenza season in Taiwan could be over by the end of this month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
Nationwide, 86,829 flu-like illnesses were reported, 5 percent less than the week before, Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Kuo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said.
There were 44 cases of flu-related serious complications, mainly from type A influenza virus, 25 cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus, with 27 cases involving people 65 or older and 12 cases where the patients were aged 50 to 64, he said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
In the cases of death, the patients were aged 50 to 85, seven of whom had chronic diseases and six who had not been vaccinated for this year’s flu season, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
In all eight cases, the patient’s illness followed a similar course, beginning with common flu symptoms such as a fever, coughing and muscle pain, and later developing into difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and pneumonia, with an average of 10 days after the onset of symptoms, Lin said.
While many people think elderly people and children are more susceptible to the flu, five of those who died last week were aged 50 to 64, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
While this age group has been included in the government-funded flu vaccination program since 2016, the vaccination rate for this age group this flu season was only 17.9 percent, Lo said.
Diabetics and people with cardiovascular disease or chronic kidney disease have a higher risk of developing serious complications from the flu, such as pneumonia, heart attacks, irregular heartbeat or kidney failure, so the CDC advises them to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, he said.
While the peak period for the main H1N1 flu virus might end later this month, infections from the influenza A (H3N2) virus and type B viruses are increasing, so the period could be extended if they become the dominant strain, he added.
People should maintain good hand hygiene and cough etiquette, especially in crowed places or indoor spaces with airconditioning, and seek immediate treatment if they develop difficulty breathing, cyanosis, changes in consciousness or other serious problems, the CDC said.
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