On November 19, 2013, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced one new case of enterovirus 71 infection with severe complications. The case is a two-year-old girl who resides in central Taiwan. In early November, she began developing symptoms pertaining to enterovirus infection such as fever and herpangina as well as suspected symptoms associated with severe complications such as vomiting, myoclonic jerk and unsteady gait after she returned home from eastern Taiwan with her mother. Fortunately, she was rushed to a large hospital for medical treatment in time. As of now, she has recovered and been discharged from the hospital. According to the epidemiological investigation, prior to her disease onset, all of the family members residing in the same household and the students attending the same kindergarten had not developed symptoms pertaining to enterovirus infection. Hence, the case might have become infected with enterovirus from an asymtopmatic patient. To ward off enterovirus infection, both adults and children are urged to wash hands properly and frequently and pay attention to their health and the health of the others residing in the same household.

Thus far this year, a cumulative total of 9 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications have been confirmed, including 5 cases of EV71, 3 cases of CA6 and 1 case of Echo30 in a newborn that died. Enterovirus is active in Taiwan throughout the year. Every year, the epidemic season occurs from April to September. According to Taiwan CDC’s surveillance data, enterovirus 71 used to be the primary virus causing severe complications and deaths associated with enterovirus infection in the past years. Nevertheless, this year, coxsackie-virus A6 is the dominant virus strain circulating in the community and enterovirus 71 is comparatively less active, especially after the 2012 enterovirus 71 epidemic. Although the epidemic season has passed, the public is urged to remain vigilant for enterovirus infeciton.

Taiwan CDC states that infants and children aged below 5 are at increased risk of developing enterovirus infection with severe complications and warns that some children develop mild or no symptoms or merely experience influenza-like symptoms, which are not easily distinguished from enterovirus infection, making cases with mild or no symptoms a potential source of enterovirus transmission. As a result, it is imperative that everyone, including adults and children, practices good personal hygiene and washes hands properly and regularly to reduce the risk of transmission.

Taiwan CDC once again urges parents to pay close attention to the symptoms of the child diagnosed with enterovirus infection, if 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 for medical attention immediately in order to ensure prompt treatment. For more information about enterovirus, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Care Hotline, 1922, or 0800-001922 if calling from a cell phone, or visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.