On July 16, 2013, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced two new cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications. One of the cases is a male infant who is less than one month old and resides in northern Taiwan. He is infected with echovirus 30. Four days after his birth, he developed fever, decreased activity, cyanosis, sepsis, abnormal coagulation, and internal bleeding. As of now, he is still hospitalized for medical treatment. The other case is a five-year-old boy who resides in northern Taiwan and is infected with enterovirus 71. In early July, he began developing hand, foot, and mouth disease. Subsequently, he developed persistent fever and myoclonic jerk. Fortunately, he was promptly rushed to a large hospital for medical attention. As of now, he has recovered and been discharged from the hospital. As the enterovirus season is still not over yet, Taiwan CDC reminds mothers-to-be and families with infants and children to pay attention to their health and the health of the children and wash hands properly and frequently to prevent enterovirus infection.

According to Taiwan CDC’s surveillance data, thus far this year, coxsackie-virus A6 is the dominant virus strain circulating in the community, enterovirus 71 is comparatively less active, and only sporadic cases of echovirus infection have been detected. As of July 16, 2013, a total of 6 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications have been confirmed, including 3 cases of CA6, 2 cases of EV71 and 1 case of Echo30. Taiwan CDC continues to closely monitor enterovirus activity.

In the past, coxsackievirus B infection with severe complications was more common among infants. Nevertheless, echoviruses 4, 6 and 11 have resulted in death in severe cases. Most people infected with echovirus develop mild symptoms and most of them recover on their own without treatment. However, newborns infected with echovirus might develop myocarditis, hepatitis, encephalitis, a drop in the platelet count, multiple organ failure and even death.

As echovirus can be passed from an infected mother to her newborn during labor and delivery, 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. The physician should pay attention to the health of the newborn and reinforce nosocomial infection control measures in the baby nursery. Taiwan CDC once again urges both parents and children to adopt good personal hygiene practices and wash hands properly and frequently.

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 about enterovirus, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, operated by Taiwan CDC or visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.