Enterovirus activity has shown signs of declining, but remains at a high level, so people should remain vigilant and take preventive measures, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that erythema infectiosum, also known as “fifth disease,” has not been observed in Taiwan despite a regional outbreak.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said that 21,911 hospital visits for enterovirus were reported last week, 19.3 percent lower than the previous week, implying viral activity is declining.
Most infections last week were children aged 4 and younger (46 percent), followed by children aged between 5 and 9 (35.5 percent) and children aged between 10 and 14 (10.9 percent), she said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
A new case of enterovirus infection with severe complications was reported last week in a newborn with no underlying health condition living in northern Taiwan, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
The boy had an intermittent fever, loss of appetite, decreased urine output and low vitality five days after birth, so he was taken to a doctor and was admitted to an intensive care unit for jaundice, mild rapid heartbeat, and suspected sepsis and dehydration, Lin said.
The boy tested positive for Coxsackievirus B3, he said, adding that he was discharged after his condition improved.
It was the eighth case of severe illness from enterovirus infection this year, he added.
The peak of the outbreak has passed, and weekly cases would continue reducing in the coming weeks, likely falling below the epidemic threshold by middle to late next month, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
However, people should not let their guard down, especially caregivers of children aged 5 or younger, she said, adding that they should practice good personal hygiene, and adults are advised to change their clothing and thoroughly wash their hands before touching young children, as well as disinfect objects that young children are often exposed to.
Meanwhile, Lee said that 74,324 hospital visits for flu-like illnesses were reported last week, including 309 severe flu complications and 61 deaths.
Ninety-six percent of the severe flu cases and 98 percent of the deaths were not vaccinated against the flu this season, she added.
Flu activity is gradually rising and the CDC estimates it could enter the epidemic phase by the end of this month and likely reach its peak at Lunar New Year, Tseng said, adding that the CDC encourages people to get vaccinated as soon as possible for better protection.
Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎), convener of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said that pneumonia was the third-leading cause of deaths last year, and pneumococcal infection is the main bacterial cause of pneumonia.
As pneumococcal infections are more common during winter, he urged elderly people who are eligible for the pneumococcal vaccines PCV13 and PPSV23 to get fully vaccinated.
Asked about the significant increase of fifth disease cases in Tokyo, reportedly the most since 1999, and whether it could affect Taiwan, Tseng said that erythema infectiosum is a viral infection caused by parvovirus B19, and can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets.
The disease is not a notifiable communicable disease in Taiwan, so cases are not required to be reported to the CDC, but monitoring data from laboratories show there were only sporadic cases in Taiwan and there has not been a local outbreak, she said.
People can prevent the disease by practicing good hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette and wearing a mask, especially in crowded venues, she said, adding that pregnant women and young children are advised not to travel to areas where the disease is spreading.
Erythema infectiosum causes a red rash on the face and mainly affects children and teenagers, Lee said, adding that there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for it, but it is usually a mild illness that goes away on its own with minimal or no treatment.
However, pregnant women, people with chronic anemia and immunocompromised people should be especially cautious, as it can cause severe complications or even death if a pregnant woman is infected, and chronic or severe anemia or other complications in immunocompromised people, he said.
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