5 dengue cases detected in suspected Kaohsiung hospital cluster

Kaohsiung, June 12 (CNA) Health authorities are investigating a suspected dengue fever cluster at a hospital in Kaohsiung after five inpatients tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease, prompting ward restrictions, disinfection measures and expanded screening.

The five locally acquired cases, announced Friday, were all patients at Kaohsiung Municipal Min-Sheng Hospital, according to the Kaohsiung Department of Health.

The outbreak marks Taiwan's first dengue cluster reported in a hospital since 2018, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.

The index case was a 78-year-old woman who was hospitalized from May 29 to June 10. After being readmitted the following day with fever, dizziness and nausea, she tested positive for dengue fever serotype 2.

An overnight screening of adjacent rooms on the hospital's sixth floor identified four additional cases, leading health officials to classify the incident as a cluster outbreak.

As of 11 a.m. Friday, authorities had screened 131 people. All five confirmed cases were hospitalized patients, including three individuals aged 79 to 91, who are receiving treatment.

Health officials said the source of infection remains unclear and have launched an epidemiological investigation tracing potential exposures back to May 27.

The hospital has implemented a "discharge-only" policy in affected wards, with patients relocated to other floors and placed under mosquito-control precautions.

Authorities have also stepped up vector-control efforts, including insecticide spraying and the removal of mosquito breeding sites. Mosquito repellent has been distributed to staff, patients and caregivers.

Inspectors found mosquito larvae in standing water in rooftop drainage channels and ground depressions on hospital grounds. The hospital was fined NT$15,000 (US$500) and ordered to address the problem immediately.

According to CDC data, Taiwan has recorded 74 confirmed dengue cases so far this year, including six locally acquired infections, all in Kaohsiung. The remaining 68 cases were imported, primarily from Southeast and South Asia.