With 11 dengue fever infections having been reported in Tainan this year, the risk of infection has increased, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday, adding that people should try to prevent mosquito bites during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
The Tainan City Government yesterday reported that two women, aged 79 and 43, and a seven-year-old boy, who are residents of Rende District (仁德), had contracted the disease.
Two cases were diagnosed through a blood testing program by the Tainan Dengue Prevention Center, and the other was reported by a hospital.
Photo courtesy of Tainan City Government
Since the CDC on Tuesday last week reported the first local dengue fever case this year, 10 more cases have been reported.
They were all in Tainan, in Rende District, East District (東區) and Yongkang District (永康).
As contact tracing showed that the cases were around Rende District, the city’s dengue prevention center expanded its blood testing program this weekend, the center said yesterday, urging residents of Chengkung (成功) and Renhe (仁和) boroughs, and people who have visited those areas or have dengue symptoms, to get tested.
CDC Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) on Friday visited the area with Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) and city government officials, to inspect the environment and oversee disinfection measures to prevent infected mosquitoes from breeding.
Most of the infected people live in boroughs in or near Rende District, and although one person lives in East District, they had visited relatives in Rende District, Lo said yesterday.
Although there is no sign that the clustered infections have spread farther, other districts in Tainan should still remain vigilant, he said.
As international tourism has resumed after COVID-19 restrictions were removed, the number of imported dengue cases increased this year, leading to an increased risk of local infection, he said, adding that the recent torrential rainfall in southern Taiwan might have boosted mosquito breeding.
June is relatively early for Denge fever to be reported in Tainan, so the city should be careful and people should take preventive measures against mosquito bites, he said.
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