Scarlet fever cases in Taiwan hit 5-year high

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Taiwan reported 245 medical visits due to scarlet fever last week, marking the highest for the same period in five years, mostly among children aged 3 to 12 years old, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

"We have observed that scarlet fever-related visits in Taiwan began to gradually increase around late November last year, reaching a relatively high point around mid-May this year," CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said at a regular news briefing in Taipei.

Since mid-May, the outbreak has remained at a plateau, with most cases occurring in children aged 3 to 12, he added.

The 245 medical visits related to the infectious disease not only marked the highest weekly figure this year but also the highest for the same period in the past five years, according to CDC spokesperson Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞).

"Scarlet fever is typically more prevalent in late spring and early summer, so the elevated case numbers during this period are not particularly surprising," he said.

Lo noted that there were also 239 cases in early May, suggesting that Group A Streptococcus -- the bacteria responsible for the disease, which causes symptoms such as fever, rash, and sore throat -- has continued to spread across Taiwan since then.

As for why case numbers were lower before 2025, Lo said weekly visits were often limited to just double digits between 2020 and 2024, likely due to COVID-19 prevention measures.

Lo added that although pediatricians across the country have recently also reported a noticeable increase in scarlet fever cases, patients have generally responded well to antibiotics, "with no signs of the disease becoming particularly severe."

Doctors in Taiwan are well trained in treating scarlet fever with antibiotics, Lo said but emphasized that patients must follow medical instructions closely, as incomplete treatment could lead to antibiotic resistance.

He also said that scarlet fever can be difficult to distinguish from enterovirus infections, as both share symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and a widespread rash.

While Taiwan remains in the midst of enterovirus season, he advised doctors and the public to exercise extra caution and consider whether symptoms may be related to a Group A Streptococcus infection rather than automatically attributing them to enterovirus.

As a precaution, individuals should avoid crowded public places and wash their hands immediately after contact with a patient's respiratory secretions. Those infected should properly dispose of their own nasal and oral secretions and should not enter public places until they have been fever-free for more than 24 hours, according to the CDC.