A five-month-old girl who died last week has been confirmed as the nation’s first fatal case of enterovirus in two years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Monday.
CDC Deputy Director Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the girl was initially treated for a cough and excessive mucus on Dec. 22, and was rushed to a hospital on Dec. 30 after she was found without vital signs.
At the hospital, doctors reported her to the CDC as a possible severe enterovirus case, which was confirmed when she was diagnosed with enterovirus D68 on Jan. 6, Chuang said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
While the girl’s vital signs returned while she was being treated at the hospital’s intensive care unit, she showed signs of brain damage and never regained consciousness, and died on Jan. 12, he said.
Chuang also reported that a man in his 30s from northern Taiwan recently became only the fourth adult in the past 25 years to develop severe symptoms from an enterovirus infection.
The man on Dec. 9 developed a fever, muscle weakness and respiratory difficulties, and on Dec. 19 was admitted to a hospital after outpatient care failed to relieve his symptoms.
On Friday, tests confirmed that the man had coxsackievirus A2 — a type of enterovirus — with severe complications, Chuang said, adding that he is in intensive care.
Enterovirus infections have been rising over the past two weeks, ahead of the virus’ typical peak season in the spring, Chuang said.
As enterovirus cases have been relatively rare over the past three years, many two and three-year-old children have never caught it, and might therefore have an “immunity debt” that makes them more vulnerable to infection, Chuang said.
From Jan. 8 to Saturday, emergency rooms and clinics nationwide reported 1,777 enterovirus cases, an increase of 36.8 percent over the previous week, CDC data showed.
“Enterovirus” is a general name for a group of related viruses that typically cause mild common cold and asthma-like symptoms, but can occasionally lead to more serious complications, particularly in young children.
Practicing good hand hygiene can prevent enterovirus infection, but alcohol-based hand disinfectants are not effective against enteroviruses, so washing hands thoroughly with soap is recommended, the CDC said.
People with symptoms should rest at home or seek medical attention, and avoid gatherings during the holiday, it added.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS