This year’s first cases of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and enterovirus infection with severe complications, as well as the second case of pertussis (whooping cough), were reported last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The first case of invasive Hib is a woman in her 80s living in a long-term care facility in southern Taiwan, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said, adding that she has a history of stroke, arrhythmia and chronic hypertension, and was not vaccinated against influenza this flu season.
After experiencing a fever, chills and shortness of breath, the woman was taken to a hospital on March 20, where she tested negative for seasonal flu, but was hospitalized for sepsis, Lin said.
Photo: CNA
Further examinations confirmed her invasive Hib infection on Tuesday last week, and she is being hospitalized for treatment, he said.
So far, only one case of invasive Hib has been reported this year, CDC data showed, which is similar for the same period in 2014 to last year, when zero to two cases were reported.
Every year, one to 14 cases are reported, with people aged 65 or older accounting for 53 percent of them, the data showed.
H influenzae bacteria live in the nose, sinuses and throat, usually without causing illness or only mild cold-like symptoms in healthy people, Lin said, adding that it can spread from person to person through direct contact or inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person.
Hib can become invasive in high-risk groups, who can develop serious symptoms such as meningitis, bacteremia, pneumonia, cellulitis and sepsis, he said.
Hib meningitis could even cause death, or permanent or long-term sequelae in survivors, he said.
Children aged five or younger without Hib vaccination, elderly people and immunocompromised people are at higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms from invasive Hib infection, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
Meanwhile, this year’s first case of an enterovirus infection with severe complications is a seven-month-old girl in southern Taiwan with coxsackievirus A10, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said.
Eleven enterovirus infections with severe complications were reported last year, including one death, infected with enterovirus 68, Lee said.
The seven-month-old girl, who does not have an inherited illness, was taken to a doctor last month for a runny nose and coughing, but was diagnosed with a common cold, and her symptoms were relieved after taking medication, Lin said.
However, after two days, she developed a high fever, vomiting, difficulty breathing and drowsiness, and fell unconscious, after which she was rushed to an emergency room, he said.
In a hospital, she was found to have convulsions, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and ulcers in her mouth and limbs, and she was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit, he said.
She tested positive for coxsakievirus A10 and developed pneumonia and sepsis during hospitalization, but her symptoms were relieved after receiving treatment, and she was discharged after 13 days, Lin said.
Children aged five or younger are at a higher risk of developing serious complications from enterovirus infections, and the disease can progress quickly, so caregivers should watch for warning signs such as drowsiness, disturbed consciousness, lethargy, persistent vomiting, shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat, and seek medical assistant immediately, he said.
This year’s second case of whooping cough was a three-month-old girl in central Taiwan last week, Lee said, adding that cases of the disease are rapidly rising worldwide.
The child was coughing and had a runny nose and was later hospitalized for COVID-19, but after being discharged, she experienced a fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, severe cough and cyanosis of the lips (bluish-purple color, a sign of low blood oxygen levels), and she was confirmed to have whooping cough on Tuesday last week, Lin said.
Getting vaccinated is the best prevention against whooping cough, and young children receive five doses of diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine before entering elementary school, Tseng said.
However, pregnant women are encouraged to get a dose of DTaP vaccine between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to provide better protection to their child, she said.
People who are planning to travel to countries where whooping cough is spreading can visit a travel medicine clinic for consultation and receive a pretravel immunization, she added.
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