12 imported cases of dengue fever reported last week: Taiwan CDC

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) Taiwan reported 12 new imported dengue fever cases from July 15-21, the highest single-week total this year, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

The cases came from Thailand (4), Indonesia (3), Vietnam (3), Myanmar (1) and Cambodia (1), Taiwan CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said at a routine news conference.

All 109 confirmed cases of the disease -- which is not transmissible from person to person -- in Taiwan this year have been imported, with 91.7 percent from Southeast Asia, Kuo said.

Indonesia accounted for the most with 45 cases, followed by Vietnam (16), the Philippines (13), Thailand (12), and the Maldives (8), he added.

CDC Deputy Director General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said that China's Guangdong Province has recorded its highest dengue count for this time of the year in six years.

In response, the CDC raised its travel health notice for Guangdong to "Level 1: Watch" -- which advises travelers to "practice usual precautions."