On March 26, 2013, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) confirmed a new indigenous case of dengue fever in Kaohsiung City, which is the 16^th dengue case confirmed this year. The disease onset dates for this case and the previous case are six weeks apart and their residences are 320 meters apart. As dengue vector mosquitoes are present in southern Taiwan year-round, Taiwan CDC reminds the public to stay vigilant and take necessary measures such as draining water containers and cleaning up vector breeding sites around their residences as well as preventing mosquito bites to effectively prevent the spread of dengue fever and protect their own health and the health of their family. Taiwan CDC emphasizes if symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, retroorbital pain, myalgia, and arthragia develop after returning to Taiwan, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the doctor of any recent travel history and activity to facilitate prompt diagnosis and case reporting.

The newly confirmed case is a 67-year-old male who resides in Lingya District, Kaohsiung City and has a history of high blood pressure and hyperurecima. On March 7, 2013, he experienced shoulder pain and sought medical attention at a district hospital. On March 9, he developed other symptoms such as rashes, itchy skin and bleeding gums. On March 11, he was hospitalized at a medical center and dengue infection was confirmed in the case. As of now, the case has recovered and been discharged.

Taiwan CDC reminds the public that dengue vector mosquitoes are present in Taiwan year-round. In addition, recently more and more people from Taiwan visit countries in Southeast Asia where dengue is endemic. As a result, the risk of imported cases is significantly increased. In addition, most dengue cases are asymptomatic. Yet, they can still pass on the virus to another person. Therefore, travelers returning to Taiwan should still reinforce the cleaning and removing of vector breeding sites in and around the residence in order to prevent dengue transmission in the community and protect the health and wellbeing of family and friends.

For more information on dengue fever epidemic and other related information, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922 if calling from a cell phone, or visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.