Taiwan could see a rise in flu cases starting December: CDC

Taipei, Nov. 18 (CNA) Taiwan may see an uptick in influenza cases starting December, with infections likely to peak around the Lunar New Year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said at a routine news briefing in Taipei that 93,247 people sought outpatient or emergency care for influenza-like symptoms from Nov. 9-15, marking a 9.1 percent drop from the previous week.

She noted, however, that 42 severe influenza cases were reported over the past seven days, 10 of which were fatal.

Meanwhile, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) warned that neighboring countries including China, South Korea and Japan were seeing rising flu cases.

She highlighted Japan in particular, which logged nearly 1.5 times more cases last week than the week before. Lee urged travelers to get vaccinated before visiting the country.

Lee said Japan's flu season has mirrored that of Taiwan's this year, with both entering their epidemic periods between late September and early October, roughly a month earlier than usual.

She attributed the earlier onset to a shift in the dominant strain from H1N1 to H3N2, waning immunity following the COVID-19 pandemic, increased international travel, and reduced mask use.

Since October, Taiwan has recorded 300 severe influenza cases, resulting in 35 deaths, Lee said.

She added that most severe cases involved people aged 65 and older and those with chronic conditions, and that 95 percent of the patients with severe symptoms were not vaccinated for this year's flu season.