On February 17, 2015, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced this year’s first case of enterovirus infection with severe complications in a newborn boy who resides in southern Taiwan. He developed symptoms 6 days after birth. Enterovirus infection was laboratory confirmed. Taiwan CDC reminds the public that although winter is not the enterovirus season, the virus remains active in winter. Enterovirus infection can take place all year around. The public is advised to practice good personal hygiene regardless of where they are to ward off infection. As preschool children are at increased risk for infection, parents and child caregivers are urged to pay attention to personal hygiene and prodromal symptoms of severe enterovirus infection in children.

The baby boy was born on January 20, 2015. After birth, he shared the same room with his mother. On January 26, when he developed inactivity, loss of appetite, and yellowing of the skin, he was immediately hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit. On February 5, he developed enlargement of the liver, acute respiratory distress syndrome, coagulation disorder, and low platelet count. Laboratory testing confirmed the case’s infection with CB5. After treatment, the case has recovered and been discharged from the hospital on February 14. None of the family members residing in the same household has developed suspected symptoms.

According to Taiwan CDC’s surveillance data, thus far this year, coxsackie-virus A6 is the dominant virus strain circulating in the community, accounting for 62.5% of all samples tested positive for entoerovirus, and only three samples were tested positive for coxsackie-virus B5. Both the outpatient clinic visits and ER visits for enterovirus infection remained low during the past 4 weeks. As of February 13, 2015, only one case of enterovirus infection with severe complications has been confirmed. During the same period last year, no case of enterovirus infection with severe complications was confirmed. Last year, a total of 6 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications have been confirmed, including CA2, CA5, CA16, CB5, EV71 and Echo11. The case infected with Echo11 died. Although enterovirus activity has remained low, Taiwan CDC will continue to closely monitor enterovirus activity to prevent the occurrence of an outbreak.

Taiwan CDC reminds mothers-to-be to pay additional attention to their health and the health of other children in the family 14 days prior to and after giving birth. If symptoms such as fever, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, and pleurodynia develop, please inform the physician. In addition, appropriate isolation measures should be adopted to keep the sick away from the newborn. Taiwan CDC urges parents to pay close attention to the symptoms of the child diagnosed with enterovirus infection, if the sick child develops suspected symptoms such as drowsiness, disturbed consciousness, inactivity, flaccid paralysis, myoclonic jerk, continuous vomiting, tachypnea, and tachycardia, please take the child to a large hospital for medical attention immediately in order to ensure prompt treatment. For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).