The number of new weekly dengue fever cases is declining and is expected to drop early next month to half the number recorded during this year’s peak, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it reported seven severe dengue cases and five deaths for last week, and urged people to still take precautionary measures as there is still a risk of infection.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that 1,745 local dengue cases were reported last week, most of which were in Tainan, which recorded 1,426 cases, followed by Kaohsiung, Pingtung County and Yunlin County, while fewer than 20 cases were reported in each of 11 other cities and counties.
The number of cases last week was 3 percent lower than the previous week, which itself was down 25 percent from a week earlier, showing that the outbreak is slowing, but the epidemic continues to pose an infection risk, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
This year’s dengue outbreak peaked in the 40th week, with 2,445 cases, she said, adding that the CDC expects weekly cases to continue dropping to about 1,200 per week between the beginning and middle of next month.
Gou said that as of last week 18,829 dengue cases had been recorded this year.
Seven severe dengue cases and five deaths were reported last week, adding to the 103 severe cases and 37 deaths recorded this year, he said.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that last week’s seven severe cases were aged 60 to 100, including six with underlying health conditions and a person older than 90 who did not have an underlying health condition.
The five deaths were people aged 70 to 90, who all had underlying health conditions, he said, adding that they died of shock, multiple organ failure or sepsis between two to 25 days after the onset of symptoms.
Although the number of new weekly cases is declining, some academics and the World Meteorological Organization have predicted that autumn and winter might be warmer this year, which is unfavorable for dengue prevention, Tseng said.
People are urged to work together to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and to protect against mosquito bites, she said.
Meanwhile, 81,167 hospital visits for flu-like illnesses were reported last week, slightly fewer than the previous week, but there were also 23 cases of serious flu complications and nine flu-related deaths, Gou said.
Of the viruses that caused respiratory infections in the past four weeks, flu viruses were the most common at 41.3 percent, and the influenza A (H3N2) strain accounted for a higher proportion of cases than the influenza A (H1N1) strain, he said.
Following flu viruses, respiratory syncytial virus accounted for 23.1 percent of the cases and adenoviruses accounted for 19.1 percent, he added.
The 23 people with serious flu complications last week were all unvaccinated, 19 had underlying health conditions and two were children — an eight-year-old boy in northern Taiwan and a one-year-old boy in southern Taiwan, Lin said.
The eight-year-old first had a fever, coughing and a runny nose early this month, and was rushed to hospital after having convulsions and losing consciousness one day after seeing a doctor, he said.
The boy was diagnosed with influenza A and encephalitis, and is still being treated in an intensive care unit, he said.
The one-year-old boy also had cold-like symptoms at first and sought medical attention the following day, but he was rushed to the hospital one day afterward as he was having difficulty breathing, Lin said.
He was diagnosed with influenza A and pneumonia, and is now intubated and being treated in an intensive care unit, he said.
Tseng said that people aged six months or older are eligible for the flu vaccine, and encouraged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Parents should also help their children practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette, and watch for early signs of severe complications if they are sick, Tseng added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by