First local dengue fever cases in 2025 found in Kaohsiung

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) Taiwan's first local dengue fever cases this year were reported during the week Aug. 19-25, involving a cluster of four people residing in Kaohsiung, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

The first case was a man in his 50s who showed symptoms of headaches, nausea and loss of appetite on Aug. 23. He sought medical treatment the next day and tested positive for type two dengue fever, according to a news statement.

After investigations, two family members living with the man and a neighbor also tested positive for type two dengue fever.

The local health bureau has expanded testing to 101 potential contacts, the CDC said.

At a routine press conference on Tuesday, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that the agency's regional management center will work with the local government to reduce the risk of an epidemic, while the local government has also set up a command center for disease prevention action in the area.

Tseng said these first cases appeared later than in any of the past 10 years. However, that does not indicate whether the outbreak will be more or less severe.

She said the spread of dengue fever is influenced by factors such as rainfall and temperature. Given the severe global outbreak of the fever last year, and with recent high temperatures and heavy rainfall creating favorable breeding conditions for vector mosquitoes, the risk of the disease spreading has increased.

The CDC reminded the public that the outbreak in neighboring southeast Asian countries is still severe, advising travelers to take anti-mosquito measures. Individuals who develop symptoms such as a fever, headache, sore muscles or joints and rashes upon arrival in Taiwan should also actively inform airport quarantine personnel.

As for chikungunya fever, two more imported cases were reported during the week Aug. 19-25, both from the Philippines, Tseng said.

As of Aug. 25, the CDC had recorded 19 imported cases in 2025, the highest for the period in six years, including 13 from Indonesia, four from the Philippines, and one each from Sri Lanka and China.