Taiwan's enterovirus cases exceeded 16,000 last week: CDC

Taipei, May 7 (CNA) The number of enterovirus cases around Taiwan exceeded 16,000 last week, the highest number for the same period in the past decade, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday.

From April 28 to May 4, a total of 16,240 people sought medical attention due to enterovirus infection, an increase of 13.4 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said at a press conference.

Based on those figures and this year's enterovirus infection trend, the epidemic is expected to peak in early June, Kuo said, adding that Coxsackie A viruses continue to be the major viral strains circulating within the community.

Currently, the enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and D68 (EV-D68) strains are the most likely to cause severe symptoms in patients.

Since the start of the enterovirus season this year, there were a total of 11 cases of A71, while there were two cases of D68, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said, adding that most of them had mild symptoms of the disease.

Mild symptoms of enterovirus typically include fever, sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands or feet, while rare severe cases can result in inflammation of the brain, heart and lungs.

In the past four weeks, Tseng said a total of 552 school classes across the country have been suspended due to enterovirus cases, higher than the 409 classes suspended over the same four weeks last year.

Enteroviruses are highly contagious, and people are advised to frequently wash their hands with soap and seek medical attention when suspected symptoms arise, the CDC said.