Investigation on the First Local Japanese Encephalitis Confirmed Case in Taiwan in June, 2011

Hsin-Fan Chien, Shu-Hua Huang, Chi-Chuan Huang, Sheng-Tang Wei, Li-Jen Lin

2011 Vol.27 NO.20

Correspondence Author： Hsin-Fan Chien

Abstract：

One suspected Japanese encephalitis case was reported at a local hospital in Kaohsiung City on June 8th, 2011, a 63 years-old housewife who lived in Hunei District, Kaohsiung City. The illness started on June 3rd, showing symptoms of fever, headache, neck stiffness, and coma. She was then admitted to the hospital on June 7th. Because the case conformed to the Japanese encephalitis reporting criteria, it was reported, and specimen collection was performed on June 7th. The CDC confirmed the case on June 13th: it was the first local Japanese encephalitis case in Taiwan this year. The patient with a history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension lived in a townhouse with three stories. There’s a dovecote on the top of a neighboring house, and also a pigsty about 600 meters away, with emitted waste water from the pigsty silting in the surrounding forest area. Right on the day the case was confirmed, the health units implemented prevention measures including reinforcing health education and advocacy to the local people, visiting hospitals and clinics, urging children of the right age to have Japanese encephalitis inoculations, and hanging mosquito lamps over high risk areas. Till June 30th, the patient of the case was conscious, but still had poor concentration, speech impediment, and dystonia in need of improvement. The district was monitored till July 3rd (double of the latent period of the disease,) and no new case was discovered afterwards.