The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control announced a total of additional 560 indigenous dengue cases were confirmed yesterday, which is a new record high in one single day since this summer, including 483 cases in Tainan City, 67 cases in Kaohsiung City, 3 cases in Taipei City, 2 cases each in Taoyuan City and Pingtung County, 1 case each in Hsinchu County, Taichung City and Penghu County. Among the newly confirmed cases, the cases confirmed in Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City and Hsinchu County all became infected in Tainan City, while the case confirmed in Penghu County became infected in Kaohsiung City. Currently, 34 cases are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, including 30 cases in Tainan City, 3 cases in Kaohsiung City and 1 case in Pingtung County. A cumulative total of 36 deaths suspected to be associated with dengue infection have been reported, including 34 deaths in Tainan City and 2 deaths in Kaohsiung City. As of now, 12 deaths have been reviewed. 10 deaths were found to be linked with dengue infection, while dengue infection was eliminated as the cause of death in 2 cases. 24 deaths, including 23 from Tainan City and 1 from Kaohsiung City, are still waiting to be reviewed. Since this summer, a cumulative total of 6,872 indigenous dengue cases confirmed in 20 cities and counties have been reported. 98.9% of the cases were confirmed in southern Taiwan.

As dengue activity continues to peak, the number of cases in Tainan City is increasing rapidly and the number of cases in Kaohsiung City is also on the rise. Taiwan CDC advises when dengue fever is diagnosed, please follow the doctor’s instructions in completing the treatment, drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, and rest at home as much as possible. In addition, dengue patients are also advised to avoid getting mosquito bites within five days after the onset of the disease in order to prevent further spread of the virus through other mosquitoes. To prevent mosquito bites, the public is urged to take precautions such as installing screen doors and window screens to houses, wearing light-colored clothing, long sleeves and long pants, using mosquito nets, mosquito repellent lamps and electric mosquito swatters, as well as applying officially approved mosquito repellent to exposed parts of the body.

As thoroughly eliminating vector breeding sources is the most effective way to prevent dengue fever, the public is once again urged to reinforce the removing of vector-breeding sites in and around their residences to ward off infection and ensure their own health and the health of others. If symptoms such as fever, headache, retroorbital pain, myalgia, arthralgia, and rash develop, 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. For more information, 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).