Although the majority of dengue fever cases recently reported in Taiwan are sporadic cases, most patients had not sought immediate medical attention and most hospitals and clinics had not been able to report the cases promptly. Hence, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) reminds the public and physicians to remain vigilant for dengue fever in order to prevent the spread of dengue in Taiwan.

According to statistics compiled by Taiwan CDC, during April 14 and 20, 2 new indigenous dengue cases and 3 new imported dengue cases were confirmed in Taiwan. Both of the new indigenous cases reside in Kaohsiung City. As of April 20, a cumulative total of 100 indigenous dengue cases have been confirmed in Taiwan and most of them reside in Kaohsiung City. Most of the recently diagnosed cases are sporadic cases. The time period between onset of symptoms and diagnosis ranges between 4 to 6 days with an average of 3.3 days. For some cases, the time period is up to 5 days. In other words, a patient is reported after seeking medical attention 3 to 4 times. Therefore, Taiwan CDC urges the public and physicians to stay alert for dengue fever.

Taiwan CDC stresses that as some areas have experienced occasional rainfall recently, the public is urged to reinforce the removing of vector-breeding sites in and around their residences to prevent the growth of vector mosquitoes. If symptoms such as fever, headache, retroorbital pain, myalgia, arthragia, and rash develop after returning to Taiwan from an area at high risk for dengue fever, 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. In addition, since some patients experience very mild symptoms, to effectively prevent the introduction of dengue virus into the community, physicians are advised to be vigilant for suspected cases, inquire about such patients’ travel history, and notify any suspected cases to the health authority immediately to facilitate implementation of subsequent measures that prevent further transmission of the disease.

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).