On November 6, 2012, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced one new case of enterovirus 71 infection with severe complications confirmed last week. The case is a nine-month-old girl who resides in central Taiwan. Around late October, she developed symptoms such as persistent fever, rashes, hand, foot and mouth disease, and herpangina. After seeking medical attention at a clinic, the case was diagnosed with enterovirus infection. Subsequently, when the case developed hypersomnia, which is a prodromal sign of complications, she was transferred to a large hospital for further medical treatment. As of now, she is stable and still hospitalized for treatment. As of November 5, a cumulative total of 152 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications have been reported this year. Of the cases, 149 were infected with enterovirus 71, including two deaths.

According to the past year surveillance data compiled by Taiwan CDC, enterovirus transmission is favored by warm and humid weather. Therefore, infection can occur in Taiwan throughout the year. Nevertheless, enterovirus 71 remains the dominant virus strain circulating in the community and the risk of transmission and developing complications remains.Hence, Taiwan CDC reminds the public to avoid taking infants and children to crowded public places, pay attention to personal hygiene and take prevention measures such as putting on a mask prior to visiting crowded places and washing hands frequently to effectively decrease the chance of enterovirus infection.

Taiwan CDC once again warns that enterovirus is highly contagious and the risk of transmission is higher crowded places, including kindergarten, child care centers and student care centers. Hence, Taiwan CDC would like to remind the public to maintain environmental cleanliness and disinfect children’s toys regularly. Both adults and children should develop good personal hygiene habits, including seeking medical attention immediately when sick, resting at home when sick, and avoiding contact with infants and young children and visiting crowded places when sick in order to reduce the risk of disease transmission and risk of developing complications and ensure prompt recovery.

Infants and children aged below 5 are at increased risk of developing enterovirus infection with severe complications. Therefore, when a child below 5 years of age in a household is diagnosed with enterovirus infection, parents and child caregivers are urged to pay close attention to the symptoms of the sick child. Once 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 immediately in order to ensure prompt treatment.

For more information on enterovirus, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922, or 0800-024582 if calling from a cell phone, or visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.