Taiwan diarrhea cases hit 5-year high of 300,000 over past week

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) More than 300,000 patients with diarrhea visited emergency and outpatient departments in Taiwan last week, the highest number for the same period in five years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

A total of 304,418 individuals sought medical attention for diarrhea from Feb. 16-22, up 5.1 percent from the previous week's 289,666 cases, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said at a regular news briefing.

Last week's diarrhea cases were the highest recorded for the same period since 2021, Kuo said.

Meanwhile, the 410 clusters of diarrhea infections reported over the past four weeks were also the highest for the same period in five years, with the majority occurring in the food and hospitality industries, Kuo added.

Of the 203 cluster cases that tested positive for a pathogen, norovirus was detected in 195, accounting for 96.1 percent of those cases, Kuo said.

CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧) said that with diarrhea infections in Taiwan fluctuating at a high level, the public should maintain proper hand and food hygiene.

Those experiencing symptoms such as watery stools or vomiting should seek medical attention promptly and rest at home to reduce the risk of spreading infections, Tseng said.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can cause illness even with a low viral load, with individuals of all ages able to become infected through incidents such as consuming contaminated food or water or having close contact with infected individuals, according to a CDC news statement.

With an incubation period ranging from 10 to 50 hours, norovirus can cause symptoms not only limited to diarrhea and vomiting but also fever, headaches, and muscle aches, which can last for one to 10 days, the CDC said.