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.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS