The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the nation’s first dengue fever-related death this year, as local infections continued to climb.
There were 206 new local cases last week — 163 in Tainan, 40 in Yunlin County and three in Kaohsiung — bringing this year’s total to 630, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said.
The first dengue-related death this year was confirmed last week — a Tainan woman in her 40s who did not have any chronic medical condition, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
Photo courtesy of the CDC Control Epidemic Intelligence Center
After developing a fever on July 16, the woman was hospitalized on July 18 as the fever persisted and she experienced an altered state of consciousness, he said.
She was diagnosed with dengue fever, exhibiting signs of severe dengue, including drowsiness and restlessness, he said.
She had a cardiac arrest and went into shock during hospitalization, and died of multiple organ failure on Friday last week, only five days after the onset of symptoms, he said.
People at a higher risk of severe dengue infection, including children, elderly people, people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women and people who have previously been infected, should especially watch out for warning signs of severe infection, including loss of consciousness, abdominal pain and bleeding, Lin said.
Of the 630 dengue cases this year, 42 percent were people aged 60 or older, which is higher than the 26 percent from 2014 to last year, Guo said.
Dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) and serotype 2 (DENV-2) have been detected locally, so people should watch out for signs of severe infection, he added.
With Typhoon Doksuri approaching and studies suggesting that mosquito numbers could surge about two weeks after a typhoon, people should make sure that their surroundings are clean and remove standing water before and after the storm to eradicate breeding grounds for mosquitoes, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
Gou said there were 62,882 hospital visits for flu-like illnesses last week, and 26 severe flu complications and six flu-related deaths were confirmed.
The youngest was a 10-year-old girl in southern Taiwan, who had been vaccinated this flu season, but began experiencing respiratory tract symptoms in the middle of this month.
She was rushed to a hospital the next day for a high fever, loss of consciousness and an unsteady gait, Lin said, adding that she tested positive for influenza A and was diagnosed with acute encephalitis.
After being admitted to an intensive care unit and given anti-viral medication, her encephalitis condition continued to worsen, and she died of acute necrotizing encephalopathy only four days after the onset of symptoms, he said.
Gou said the average daily number of hospitalized COVID-19 cases was 119 last week, down 21.7 percent from the previous week.
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