Enterovirus activity in Taiwan shows signs of declining: CDC

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) Enterovirus activity in Taiwan is showing signs of declining, the country's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday.

There were 9,673 visits to emergency departments and outpatient clinics for enteroviru-related cases from Jan. 12-19, which represented a 22.8 percent decrease from the previous week, Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳), deputy director of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Center, said at a weekly briefing.

The enterovirus epidemic is beginning to show a declining trend, with the figure dropping below the epidemic threshold of 11,000 cases per week, Lee added.

According to the CDC, the usual seasonal pattern for enterovirus is that outbreaks occur from late March to early April and peak in late May to early June.

During summer vacation, cases typically decrease but tend to rise again in September with the start of the school year before gradually subsiding during the cooler months in Taiwan, it said.

Meanwhile, Taiwan also reported two new cases of enterovirus with severe complications this year, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said at the event.

The patients included a baby who showed symptoms of the disease one week after being born and is still being treated in hospital.

The other was a two-year-old boy who had no underlying health conditions but whose parents sought medical attention when he experienced a high fever and had difficulty swallowing, Lin said, indicating that he was later diagnosed with the D68 (EV-D68) strain of enterovirus.

The boy was discharged from hospital following ten days of treatment, he added.

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