The number of new weekly dengue fever cases is declining and is expected to drop early next month to half the number recorded during this year’s peak, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it reported seven severe dengue cases and five deaths for last week, and urged people to still take precautionary measures as there is still a risk of infection.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that 1,745 local dengue cases were reported last week, most of which were in Tainan, which recorded 1,426 cases, followed by Kaohsiung, Pingtung County and Yunlin County, while fewer than 20 cases were reported in each of 11 other cities and counties.
The number of cases last week was 3 percent lower than the previous week, which itself was down 25 percent from a week earlier, showing that the outbreak is slowing, but the epidemic continues to pose an infection risk, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
This year’s dengue outbreak peaked in the 40th week, with 2,445 cases, she said, adding that the CDC expects weekly cases to continue dropping to about 1,200 per week between the beginning and middle of next month.
Gou said that as of last week 18,829 dengue cases had been recorded this year.
Seven severe dengue cases and five deaths were reported last week, adding to the 103 severe cases and 37 deaths recorded this year, he said.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that last week’s seven severe cases were aged 60 to 100, including six with underlying health conditions and a person older than 90 who did not have an underlying health condition.
The five deaths were people aged 70 to 90, who all had underlying health conditions, he said, adding that they died of shock, multiple organ failure or sepsis between two to 25 days after the onset of symptoms.
Although the number of new weekly cases is declining, some academics and the World Meteorological Organization have predicted that autumn and winter might be warmer this year, which is unfavorable for dengue prevention, Tseng said.
People are urged to work together to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and to protect against mosquito bites, she said.
Meanwhile, 81,167 hospital visits for flu-like illnesses were reported last week, slightly fewer than the previous week, but there were also 23 cases of serious flu complications and nine flu-related deaths, Gou said.
Of the viruses that caused respiratory infections in the past four weeks, flu viruses were the most common at 41.3 percent, and the influenza A (H3N2) strain accounted for a higher proportion of cases than the influenza A (H1N1) strain, he said.
Following flu viruses, respiratory syncytial virus accounted for 23.1 percent of the cases and adenoviruses accounted for 19.1 percent, he added.
The 23 people with serious flu complications last week were all unvaccinated, 19 had underlying health conditions and two were children — an eight-year-old boy in northern Taiwan and a one-year-old boy in southern Taiwan, Lin said.
The eight-year-old first had a fever, coughing and a runny nose early this month, and was rushed to hospital after having convulsions and losing consciousness one day after seeing a doctor, he said.
The boy was diagnosed with influenza A and encephalitis, and is still being treated in an intensive care unit, he said.
The one-year-old boy also had cold-like symptoms at first and sought medical attention the following day, but he was rushed to the hospital one day afterward as he was having difficulty breathing, Lin said.
He was diagnosed with influenza A and pneumonia, and is now intubated and being treated in an intensive care unit, he said.
Tseng said that people aged six months or older are eligible for the flu vaccine, and encouraged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Parents should also help their children practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette, and watch for early signs of severe complications if they are sick, Tseng added.
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