Wed, Sep 17, 2025 page3

• Newborn dies of enterovirus

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  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.

  

  Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director-General Lee Chia-lin speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

  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.
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