The laboratory at the Southern Regional Center under the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has started conducting dengue fever testing and completed testing 235 specimens, which accounted for 30% of the total 830 specimens that came from Tainan City. Among the specimens, 120 tested positive for dengue virus. Since the operation of the laboratory at the Southern Regional Center, the specimens from Tainan City no longer need to be sent to the laboratory in Kaohsiung City for testing and the result can be obtained within three hours’ time, which dramatically improves the regional testing capacity.

Some people have point out that mosquito repellents are currently out of stock. Taiwan CDC advised that besides using mosquito repellent on exposed skin, the public is also recommended to get pesticides containing DEET to use for both indoor and outdoor environments such as window screens, screen doors or tents when out camping to keep mosquitoes away.

A total of additional 607 indigenous dengue cases were confirmed on September 10, 2015, including 554 cases in Tainan City and 53 cases in Kaohsiung City. Currently, 34 cases are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, including 31 cases in Tainan City, 2 cases in Kaohsiung City, and 1 case in Pingtung County. A cumulative total of 18 were found to be associated with dengue infection, while 24 deaths, including 23 from Tainan City and 1 from Kaohsiung City, are still waiting to be reviewed. Since this summer, a cumulative total of 8,060 indigenous dengue cases confirmed in 20 cities and counties have been reported. 98.8% of the cases were confirmed in southern Taiwan and the rest are sporadic cases.

In light of the continuing threats and challenges posed by the ongoing dengue outbreaks, Taiwan CDC is convening a Dengue Expert Advisory Meeting, which will be attended by several domestic and international public health, healthcare and environmental experts, to discuss and formulate medium- and long-term plans for dengue prevention and control, prevention and treatment strategies and health communication policies. For more information, 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).