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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Infant first to die of enterovirus in 2023
Guo Hung-wei, director of the Centers for Disease Control’s Epidemic Intelligence Center, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
NUMBERS GROWING: The CDC reported 12,030 hospital visits for enterovirus last week, a 4.6% weekly increase, and warned parents to be alert as their children return to school
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
A 10-month-old was the first person to die of enterovirus this year, the Centers for Disease Control （CDC） said yesterday, while also reporting a rare case of vertical （mother to child） transmission of dengue fever.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei （郭宏偉） said that 12,030 hospital visits for enterovirus were reported last week, higher than the epidemic threshold of 11,000 weekly visits, and 4.6 percent more than a week earlier.
Of the enteroviruses identified by contracted laboratories over the past four weeks, Group A coxsackieviruses accounted for the majority of infections, but other types of enteroviruses have been detected, he said, adding that as the new school semester starts this week, parents should be aware that young students risk infection and be alert for signs of severe complications.
This year’s first death from enterovirus was confirmed last week, a 10-month-old boy infected with enterovirus D68, Guo said, adding that there have been nine people who had severe complications from enterovirus this year, and all were under the age of six.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching （林詠青） said the 10-month-old boy was found unconscious with no heartbeat and was not breathing shortly after he was fed milk at a daycare center on Aug. 8.
After being rushed to hospital he was found to have had swelling of the brain, and was pronounced dead of severe complications from enterovirus, Lin said.
His family members did not have symptoms, and although another child at the daycare center had the virus two months ago, none of the children had recently had symptoms, so the infection source is unclear, he said.
Children under the age of six have a higher risk of severe illness from infection, so parents should be alert for warning signs, including altered consciousness, inactivity, drowsiness, shortness of breath, involuntary muscle jerks, continuous vomiting, weakness of the limbs or flaccid paralysis, and seek medical attention immediately if they occur, Lin said.
Meanwhile, Gou said that 892 local dengue cases were reported last week, including 802 in Tainan, 34 in Kaohsiung, 33 in Yunlin County, and sporadic cases in seven other administrative regions.
He said that, as of Monday, 3,026 local dengue cases had been reported so far this year.
Lin said that a case in which a mother transmitted dengue fever to her child was confirmed in Tainan last week.
A newborn was found inactive with rashes on their limbs on Tuesday last week and tested positive for dengue fever on Thursday last week, Lin said.
The mother had a continuous fever when she gave birth on Aug. 8 and tested positive for dengue the next day, he said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui （曾淑慧） said the centers discussed the case with the child’s medical team and specialists, and determined that it was a rare case of mother-to-child transmission, marking the second such case ever reported in Taiwan.
The baby has recovered and was discharged yesterday, Tseng said.
Pregnant women should take preventive measures against mosquitoes like everyone else, such as wearing bright long-sleeved clothing and applying insect repellent, but as they are at higher risk of developing severe illness from infection, they should be especially cautious, Lin said.
Mosquito screens or nets should be used to protect newborns, who can also be dressed in long-sleeved clothing depending on the temperature, he said.
A third dengue-related death this year was confirmed last week: a man in his 80s, who lived in Yunlin County and had chronic kidney disease and hypertension, Lin said.
Meanwhile, as the local COVID-19 outbreak continues to slow, and the positivity rate from weekly testing at nursing homes and senior welfare facilities has dropped to 0.4 percent, the government-funded routine COVID-19 testing at the facilities would no longer be mandatory, starting from Friday, Tseng said.
People at the facilities would only be required to test if they experience symptoms, he added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
