Flu season likely to happen earlier than usual: Taiwan CDC

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday that influenza-like illnesses are on the rise and that Taiwan is expected to enter an epidemic period this week.

Speaking at a routine press conference, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said 100,909 people sought outpatient or emergency care for influenza-like illness from Sept. 7 to 13, a 10.4 percent increase from the previous week.

Tseng said this year's influenza season is forecast to exceed the epidemic threshold in the 38th week of the year, later than the 2022-2023 season, which crossed the threshold in week 35, but still earlier than most past years when the epidemic period typically began after October.

CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said the current increase may be related to close contact among students due to the start of the school year.

Lee added that similar surges have been seen before the onset of new influenza seasons in October, but that infection peaks usually fall between December and the Lunar New Year, and further observation is needed to see whether the present rise will continue or decline.

Tseng said, however, COVID-19 infections, which peaked in late May and early June this year, remain at a low level.

She said that this year's free influenza and COVID-19 vaccines will be offered in phases starting Oct. 1, and that the public COVID-19 vaccination strategy will change from universal inoculation to a risk-based approach in line with current international practice.