Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) The number of dengue fever cases recorded since the start of summer in Taiwan has risen to 10,384, with 98 percent of them in the southern Taiwan cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday.
The latest figure showed an increase of 522 cases from the previous day.
Of the more than 10,000 cases reported, 9,103 cases had occurred in Tainan and 1,108 had occurred in neighboring Kaohsiung, according to CDC figures.
Thirty-eight dengue fever patients are currently in intensive care, said Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍), director of the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center.
Eighteen people are confirmed to have died of the disease since May 1. Another 36 are suspected of having died of the disease, and their cases are still being reviewed, she said.
Dengue fever is an infectious tropical disease spread by mosquitoes. The symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and skin rash. In a small proportion of cases, the disease can develop into hemorrhagic dengue fever, which can be fatal.
(By Chen Wei-ting and Lee Hsin-Yin)ENDITEM/ls
