According to the surveillance data compiled by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC), the enterovirus epidemic is still at its peak. Although schools at all levels are closed for summer break, opportunities for students to participate in after-school programs, summer camps and other summer programs increase and most private child-care centers remain open during summer break. Hence, Taiwan CDC would like to remind both parents and childcare center personnel to pay attention to personal and child hygiene and wash hands frequently to effectively decrease the chance of enterovirus infection.  

Enterovirus 71 activity continues to persist, and enterovirus infections with severe complications continue to occur. On July 3. 2012. Taiwan CDC announced six new cases of enterovirus 71 infection with severe complications and one new case of Coxsackie A2 infection with severe complications. The cases are a one-year-and-eight-month-old girl and a four-year-and-two-month-old boy who reside in northern Taiwan, a one-year-old girl and a three-year-and-nine-month-old girl who reside in central Taiwan, and a five-month-old boy, a six-month-old boy and a five-year-and-nine-month-old boy who reside in southern Taiwan. All cases have recovered and been discharged from the hospital. As of July 2, a total of 89 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications, including one death, have been reported this year. Of the cases, 86 were infected with enterovirus 71.

Taiwan CDC once again warns that enterovirus is highly contagious and the risk of transmission is higher at home and school, including kindergarten, child care centers and student care centers. In addition, many people who are infected with enterovirus do not develop symptoms or experience only mild flu-like symptoms. Therefore, when a child in a household is diagnosed with enterovirus infection, 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 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.