On March 6, 2012, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced two new cases of enterovirus 71 infection with severe complications. The cases respectively are a three-year-and-five-month-old boy and a three-year-and-six-month-old girl who both reside southern Taiwan. During late February, they developed symptoms pertaining to enterovirus infection, including fever and blisters on limbs. Subsequently, they developed prodromal signs of complications, including myoclonus, tachycardia, and vomiting. Fortunately, they were both promptly rushed to a large hospital for medical treatment. As of now, they have both recovered and been discharged from the hospital. Taiwan CDC warns that the EV71 epidemic has still not abated. The threat of enterovirus 71 still persists as mild cases of enterovirus 71 and cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications have still been detected. As of March 5, a total of 14 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications have been reported this year. It is anticipated that the number of enterovirus cases, including enterovirus infection with severe complications, will increase as the weather gets warmer in March and April.

As enterovirus is highly contagious and the risk of transmission is higher at home and school, including kindergarten, child care centers and student care centers, Taiwan CDC urges both adults and children should develop good personal hygiene habits such as washing hands properly, seeking medical attention immediately when sick, and resting at home when sick in order to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Parents are advised not to bring young children to crowded public places to avoid infection. Child care facilities are advised to reinforce the importance of frequent hand washing and good hand washing technique for all children, clean and disinfect the environment regularly, and follow the government’s policies to report cases and suspend classes accordingly. Infants and children under the age of 5 are at the highest risk for complications. When a child in a household is diagnosed with enterovirus infection, please refrain the sick child from close contact with other children. The excrement (feces, nasal and oral secretions) of the patient shall be handled with care, and parents shall immediately wash their hands after disposing of them. In addition, parents 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, 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.