Taiwan's flu epidemic expected this week: CDC

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday said that Taiwan recorded over 90,000 cases of influenza-like illness last week and predicted that influenza will enter an epidemic phase this week.

A total of 94,882 visits to emergency departments and outpatient clinics for flu-like symptoms were reported from Dec. 15-21, a 16 percent increase compared to the number of cases recorded the previous week, said CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧) at a news conference.

Among those who visited the emergency department last week, 10.8 percent were due to flu-like illness, very close to the epidemic threshold of 11 percent, Tseng said.

"Based on our predictions, the influenza epidemic phase is expected to begin this week, with a peak (in number of cases) anticipated around the Lunar New Year," Tseng said, adding that the number of patients seeking medical attention for flu-like illness is likely to exceed 100,000 this week.

Tseng warned that as winter approaches, viruses targeting the human respiratory system are becoming more active, and with year-end activities such as Christmas celebrations and New Year gatherings, the risk of disease transmission is increasing.

She also urged individuals who have not yet received a flu jab, especially those in high-risk groups, to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

On Dec. 17, the CDC announced free flu vaccines will be offered to all unvaccinated residents in Taiwan aged 6 months or older starting Jan. 1 next year until the vaccine supply is used up.

In terms of vaccine effectiveness, CDC official Tsou Tsung-Pei (鄒宗珮) said that a joint study conducted by the CDC and Academia Sinica found that individuals aged 65 and above who received influenza jabs during the flu season in late 2023 had significant protection against influenza in the months following vaccination.

The study showed that vaccination during the flu season provided senior citizens with 33.5 percent protection against flu diagnosis requiring medical visits, 75.1 percent protection against severe complications, and 65.7 percent protection against all-cause mortality (deaths from any cause) within 30 days of a flu diagnosis, according to Tsou.

Meanwhile, the CDC recorded 15,843 medical visits for enterovirus cases last week, reflecting a 10 percent decrease from the previous week and marking the third consecutive weekly decline in case numbers.

Tseng said that the enterovirus epidemic phase is expected to conclude in mid to late January next year.