The peak season for enterovirus infections is over, but three cases of serious complications from enterovirus infection were confirmed last week, including a rare case, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
Last week, 16,299 people had confirmed cases of enterovirus infections, a 5.4 percent decline from the week before, indicating that the peak infection season has passed, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said.
However, the epidemic season is not over yet, Liu added.
Photo: CNA
Twenty-two people have had serious complications of enterovirus infection this year, 15 of whom were infected with enterovirus 71 (EV71), two with enterovirus D68, and five with five other subtypes of enteroviruses.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that three people were reported to have serious complications of enterovirus infection: a two-year-old boy in northern Taiwan, a two-year-old girl in southern Taiwan — both infected with EV71 — and a rare case of a 17-year-old boy in northern Taiwan who was infected with coxsackievirus A6.
The teenager showed symptoms of fever, herpangina (small, blister-like bumps or ulcers in the mouth), weakness in the limbs, difficulty breathing and hypoxemia (an abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood), and later developed hepatitis and pneumonia.
The risk of coxsackievirus A6 causing serious complications and hepatitis, as well as serious complication of enteroviruses infection occurring in a teenager, is low, Lin said.
Usually, children under five are at higher risk of serious complications, but older children and adolescents might still be at risk, he said.
The three patients have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospital, Lin said.
Separately, three new cases of Japanese encephalitis were confirmed last week, the CDC said.
The patients are two men and one woman aged 50 to 80 who have never been vaccinated against the disease, it said.
They are from Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音), Taichung’s Taiping District (太平) and Changhua County’s Homei Township (和美), and all live in or have been near rice paddies, pig farms or pigeon houses, which are high-risk areas for contracting mosquito-borne diseases, the CDC said.
Fifteen cases of Japanese encephalitis, including two deaths, have been confirmed this year, and the peak period is in June and July, Lin said, urging people to take measures to prevent mosquito bites.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS