During January 7 and 13, 2014, 8 new indigenous cases of dengue fever and 3 imported cases of dengue fever were confirmed in Taiwan. All the new indigenous cases confirmed last week occurred in Pingtung County. Although dengue activity has declined in southern Taiwan, Taiwan CDC still urges the public to make full use of year-end cleaning to reinforce the removal of vector-breeding sites and ensure the cleanliness of the environment as well as recycle all unwanted containers in order to prevent further spread of dengue fever. In addition, Taiwan CDC advises travelers planning to visit high risk areas to take personal precautions against mosquito bites throughout the trip in order to prevent dengue infection and further spread of the disease.

All the newly confirmed indigenous cases reside in Pingtung County: 5 reside in Pingtung City and 3 reside in Wandan Township. The 3 new imported cases respectively became infected in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Since last year, as of January 13, 2014, a cumulative total of 598 indigenous dengue cases have been confirmed. Among the indigenous cases, 477 cases have been confirmed in Pingtung County, 70 cases have been confirmed in Kaohsiung City, 38 cases have been confirmed in Tainan City, 9 cases have been confirmed in Taipei City, and 1 case has been respectively confirmed in New Taipei City, Taoyuan County, Taichung City and Chiayi County.

Taiwan CDC reminds the public that as dengue is endemic in southeast Asia throughout the year, travelers planning to visit areas affected by dengue fever in southeast Asia or southern Taiwan during winter and spring breaks are advised to take precautions against mosquito bites. If symptoms such as fever, headache, retroorbital pain, myalgia, arthragia, and rash develop upon returning to Taiwan, please seek immediate medical attention and inform the doctor of any relevant medical history, recent travel history and activity to facilitate prompt diagnosis and case reporting. Taiwan CDC stresses that there is currently no effective vaccine or cure for dengue fever and regularly removing vector-breeding sites in and around the residence remains the most effective way to prevent dengue fever. For more information on dengue fever, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922 if calling from a cell phone.