The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the death of a newborn from severe enterovirus infection, bringing the total number of deaths this year to eight, the most in six years.
CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the newborn developed symptoms including low body temperature and jaundice seven days after birth and was rushed to an emergency room.
He was found to have sepsis-like symptoms, including a low blood platelet count and metabolic acidosis, at the emergency room, so he was admitted to an intensive care unit for further treatment, she said.
Photo: CNA
Despite treatment, the infant’s condition did not improve, and he died the following day. Tests later confirmed infection with echovirus 11, Tseng said.
Sixteen severe enterovirus cases have been reported this year, eight of which were fatal, the highest toll for the same period in six years, she said.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said there were 8,313 hospital visits for enterovirus last week, a 7 percent increase from the previous week. Although cases have been rising gradually in the past few weeks, the number has not yet reached the threshold for an epidemic, she said.
Viral surveillance data show that Coxsackievirus A16 has been the dominant strain circulating locally over the past four weeks, followed by echovirus 11 and Coxsackievirus A6, she said.
Tsend said that with schools reopening, the risk of viral transmission has increased, adding that case numbers in some regions have already reached more than 80 percent of their respective epidemic thresholds.
The CDC predicts that enterovirus infections could reach epidemic levels as early as next month, she said.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said echovirus 11 can cause severe, life-threatening illness in newborns, so expectant mothers are encouraged to pay more attention to their health condition before giving birth, avoid going to crowded or poorly ventilated venues and avoid contact with people with respiratory symptoms.
If expectant mothers develop cold-like symptoms within two weeks before giving birth, they should inform their medical team so that special attention and care can be given to the newborn, he added.
Meanwhile, Lee said four imported cases of malaria were reported last week, including three people who traveled abroad between July and this month without taking preventive medication, while the fourth was a long-term resident of India.
Of the three travelers, two had visited Indonesia and were infected with Plasmodium vivax, which causes vivax malaria, Lee said.
Another had traveled through several African countries — including Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya — and contracted Plasmodium falciparum, which causes severe malaria, she said.
The case involving the long-term resident of India was confirmed as vivax malaria after they arrived in Taiwan late last month, she said.
Twenty malaria cases have been reported this year, including the four most recent, the highest number for the same period in 19 years, Lee said.
All of them were imported, she said.
The CDC urged travelers to malaria-endemic countries to visit a travel clinic at least one month before departure for consultations, continue taking prophylactic medication throughout their trip and seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms, and inform their doctor about their travel history.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS