During December 10 and 16, 2013, 49 new indigenous cases of dengue fever, 4 imported cases of dengue fever, and 3 new cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever were confirmed in Taiwan. Most of the new cases confirmed last week occurred in Pingtung County (37), followed by Kaohsiung City (10), and Tainan City (2). Thus far, this year’s number of dengue fever cases confirmed in Pingtung County has reached a new record high in nearly two decades. As the number of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases in southern Taiwan continues to increase, the public, especially residents in southern Taiwan and Pingtung County, is reminded to continue to thoroughly clean and empty any indoor and outdoor water containers and vector breeding sources and be sure to continue to maintain the cleanliness of the environment to prevent further spread of the virus. Physicians are also advised to be vigilant for and notify any suspected cases to the health authority immediately to facilitate implementation of subsequent measures that prevent further transmission of the disease.

The three new dengue hemorrhagic fever cases confirmed last week respectively are a 55-year-old male who resides in Pingtung City, Pingtung County, a 47-year-old female who resides in Cianjhen District, Kaohsiung City, and a 54-year-old male who resides in Lingya District, Kaohsiung City. Two of the cases sought medical attention three times before being reported to the health authority and hospitalized for treatment. As of now, two cases have been discharged and one case remains in a general ward for further treatment.

As of December 16, 2013, a cumulative total of 514 indigenous dengue cases have been confirmed this dengue season. Among the indigenous cases, 404 cases have been confirmed in Pingtung County, 64 cases have been confirmed in Kaohsiung City, 34 cases have been confirmed in Tainan City, 9 cases have been confirmed in Taipei City, and 1 case has been respectively confirmed in New Taipei City, Taichung City and Chiayi County. On the other hand, during the same period, a total of 13 dengue hemorrhagic fever cases have been confirmed, including 8 cases that reside in Pingtung County, 3 cases that reside in Kaohsiung City, and 2 cases that reside in Tainan City.

Taiwan CDC stresses that everyone needs to participate in dengue control efforts in order to successfully contain the epidemic and urges the public to stay vigilant against dengue fever and take necessary measures such as draining water containers and cleaning up vector breeding sites around their residences to lower the vector density in the community. In addition, physicians are advised to be vigilant for patients with fever and notify any suspected dengue cases to the health authority immediately to prevent further spread of the disease. For more information on dengue fever, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922 if calling from a cell phone.