5th newborn dies of enterovirus complications in 2025

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) Another newborn death linked to enterovirus complications, the fifth in 2025, has been confirmed, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Tuesday.

The death involved a premature baby boy who began showing symptoms of lethargy and inactivity at four days old, a CDC news release said.

The newborn later developed signs of neonatal sepsis, including myocarditis, hepatitis, shock, and multiple organ failure, and died three days after showing symptoms, the CDC said.

At a press conference, CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said the baby boy tested positive for enterovirus. While the specific strain has yet to be confirmed, the symptoms and progression of the illness strongly suggest enteric cytopathic human orphan virus 11 (Echo 11).

Lo said that the ongoing infant enterovirus epidemic in Taiwan may continue until the end of July, so the CDC has ordered 1,720 childcare centers and 255 postpartum care centers around the nation to conduct self-assessments of their enterovirus prevention measures before July 15.

Local governments will inspect the assessment results, he said.

Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳), deputy director of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Center, said that a total of 6,696 people sought medical assistance for enterovirus from June 22-28, marking a 2.8 percent decrease from the previous week.

She said that laboratory monitoring over the past four weeks showed Echo 11 to be the prevalent strain.

A total of nine severe enterovirus cases have been recorded in 2025, a nearly six year high, with six resulting in death, Lee said.

Among these, six were severe infant cases, five of which were fatal. Five involved the Echo 11 strain, while the sixth is still under investigation, she added.

As for the general enterovirus outbreak, Lo noted that the recent decline in clinic visits may be due to the start of the summer vacation, which has reduced large gatherings on school campuses.

However, he cautioned that with many summer activities set to begin in the coming weeks, the epidemic could see a resurgence.