Wed, Nov 15, 2023 page3

• Hospital visits for flu-like illnesses decrease

  SICK BOY: The CDC said that 15 serious cases included a four-year-old who developed spasms and a high fever, and was diagnosed with necrotizing encephalopathy

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  The number of hospital visits for flu-like illness dropped to 68,564 last week, but it is still higher than the same week in the past three years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

  Flu viruses accounted for most of the respiratory infections identified at contracted labs in the past four weeks, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said.

  Of the identified flu infections, influenza A (H3N2) was the most common type in the past four weeks, Lee said.

  

  Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  There were 15 cases of serious flu complications and four flu-related deaths reported last week, with all of them unvaccinated this flu season, she said.

  CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that of the 15 serious cases, most are elderly people, but the youngest is a four-year-old boy who has a congenital disorder and a record of febrile seizures.

  The boy was not vaccinated this flu season, Lin said.

  The boy had a runny nose and a cough with sputum, then developed spasms and a high fever, he said.

  The boy tested positive for influenza B and was admitted to an intensive care unit, where he was diagnosed with acute necrotizing encephalopathy and has been intubated for more than 10 days, he said.

  Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is not a common flu-related complication and it usually has a relatively poor prognosis, although progression of the condition is rapid, Lin said.

  Young children, elderly people, pregnant women and people with high-risk underlying health conditions face a greater risk of developing severe complications from flu infection, so they should get vaccinated as soon as possible, he said.

  CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that since the government-funded flu vaccination program was launched on Oct. 2, more than 5.24 million people have received a flu shot, about 110,000 more than the same period last year.

  There were 8,831 hospital visits for enterovirus infections reported last week, down 7.9 percent from the previous week, Lee said.

  However, the virus is still circulating, with group A coxsackieviruses the most common type detected, she said.

  An eight-day-old girl was reported with a severe case of enterovirus, the youngest serious case this year, Lin said.

  The girl had generalized seizures, tachypnea, a rapid heartbeat, arrhythmia and herpangina, he said.

  Tests confirmed a coxsackievirus A6 infection, he said, adding that the girl’s condition improved after treatment and has has been discharged from hospital.

  While April to October is usually the peak for enterovirus infections, the disease can be contracted all year round, he said.

  Adults usually have no or mild symptoms, but they can transmit the virus to children if they are not careful, he said.

  People should change their clothes upon entering their home and wash their hands thoroughly with soap before interacting with young children, he said.

  CDC data showed that 11 cases of severe enterovirus have been reported this year, all of them children aged five or younger.
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