Accumulated cases of serious flu complications and flu-related deaths have hit a decade high this flu season, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it reported 20,913 hospital visits for enterovirus infection last week, also a decade high.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said that 68,283 hospital visits for flu-like illnesses were reported last week, which have not yet exceeded the epidemic threshold, but monitoring data showed relatively high numbers of serious flu complications and deaths so far this flu season.
From Oct. 1, the start of this flu season, to Monday, 202 cases of serious flu complications were reported, 83 percent of whom had chronic illnesses and 98 percent had not been vaccinated, she said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Among the serious flu cases, 26 people died, including 25 who contracted the influenza A(H1N1) virus and one had the influenza A(H3N2) virus, Lee said, adding that all were unvaccinated.
Both numbers of severe complications and deaths so far mark the highest during the same period — between Oct. 1 and Nov. 11 — in a decade, she added.
The youngest case of serious flu complications was a five-year-old girl, who was unvaccinated and developed cold-like symptoms early this month, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
She was rushed to a hospital after losing consciousness and tested positive for influenza A(H1N1), Lin said, adding that she was discharged from the hospital on her fifth day.
The youngest death this season is a woman in her 40s, who had cancer and was unvaccinated, Lin said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said the seasonal flu has not yet entered an epidemic period, and recent monitoring data suggest it would not arrive early, but likely between early to the middle of next month.
However, experience shows that when influenza A(H1N1) is the dominant virus, there tends to be slightly higher numbers of serious illness and death, he said, adding that influenza A(H3N2) could replace it and become the dominant strain around the Lunar New Year — in late January — next year.
The flu vaccine protects against both influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) strains, so people should get vaccinated as soon as possible, he said.
Meanwhile, enterovirus activity remains high, with 20,913 hospital visits reported last week, an increase of 4.7 percent from the previous week, and the highest of the same week in a decade, Lee said.
A new case of enterovirus infection with serious complications was reported last week — an eight-year-old boy who was infected with coxsackievirus A16, the dominant strain in recent weeks, she said, adding that the boy has recovered after hospitalization.
As the epidemic period for enterovirus is usually between summer and early fall in Taiwan, Lo said hospital visits last week almost exceeded the peak weekly number this summer, and monitoring data suggest the weekly number might continue to increase, reaching an estimated peak of about 22,000 visits per week.
The CDC estimates that weekly hospital visits might start to fall late this month, and possibly drop below the epidemic threshold by the end of the year, he said.
Carers of young children are encouraged to remain vigilant, help children practice good personal hygiene and watch for signs of severe illness, he said.
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