Three new cases of melioidosis were reported last week and four cases of leptospirosis have been reported since Typhoon Danas hit Taiwan early last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it also raised the travel notice to level 2 for chikungunya in China.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that the three people diagnosed with melioidosis last week are aged between 50 and 70, with two residing in Kaohsiung and one in Taichung.
They all had direct exposure to mud and floodwaters after the typhoon, Guo said.
Photo courtesy of CDC
Thirty-five cases of melioidosis have been reported so far this year, including two deaths, he said, adding that 13 of them developed symptoms after the typhoon made landfall in Chiayi County on July 6.
Four cases of leptospirosis were also reported after the storm, with three in Taichung and one in Hualien County, Guo said.
Three had direct exposure to floodwaters or mud, he added.
Melioidosis is a bacterial infection that can become more prevalent after typhoons, as the bacteria are commonly found in soil and can be stirred up by heavy rain or strong winds. Leptospirosis is also a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans through direct contact with floodwaters contaminated by the urine of infected animals.
CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧), the centers’ spokeswoman, said that people should wear waterproof gloves, long boots and other protective clothing, as well as wear a mask when cleaning up flooded environments to avoid direct contact with contaminated soil and water.
People with diabetes, cancer, or liver, lung or kidney diseases, as well as immunocompromised people, face an increased risk of infection, so if they develop a fever, coughing or other symptoms after contact with floodwater, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible, Tseng said.
Meanwhile, chikungunya outbreaks in several countries are relatively severe this year, with the Americas having the most cases, Guo said.
In Asia, 2,892 cases were reported in China’s Guangdong Province last week, including 2,770 in Foshan City, where more than 6,900 cases have been reported so far this year, he said, adding that Macau and Hong Kong have also reported a few cases.
With the surge of cases in Guangdong, the CDC raised the travel notice to level 2 — “Alert” — for the disease in China, advising people planning to travel there to take precautions.
People planning to travel to countries where chikungunya is spreading should wear long-sleeved clothing with light-colored fabrics, and use repellents to prevent bites, the CDC said.
They should tell airport quarantine station personnel upon arrival if they suspect they have been infected in another country, the centers said.
A case of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum was reported, Guo said.
A foreign national in his teens who had traveled in Togo was diagnosed with the disease, he said.
The case brought the total imported cases of malaria reported so far this year to 15, the highest for the period in 19 years, he said.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said the teen traveled to Togo with his family and visited rural villages.
The teen reported being bitten by mosquitoes, Lin said.
He developed symptoms about a week after they left the west African country and sought treatment, but his symptoms continued, Lin said.
The teen was hospitalized late last month with jaundice, a swollen spleen and a low blood platelet count, Lin said, adding that a test showed P. falciparum in his blood.
He was treated with antimalarial medications and his symptoms subsided, although he remained in hospital, Lin added.
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