Taiwan reports first Japanese encephalitis death of the year

Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Taiwan has recorded its first death from Japanese encephalitis this year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

The fatality was a woman in her 70s from Taoyuan who had a history of hypertension. She developed weakness, drowsiness and a fever in mid-July and sought emergency medical treatment two days after her symptoms began, according to CDC epidemiologist Lin Yung-ching (林詠青).

She was admitted to intensive care after testing positive for Japanese encephalitis. She died in late July of respiratory failure after more than a week in hospital, making her Taiwan's first fatal case of the disease in 2026, Lin said.

Health officials said no one living with her had developed symptoms.

The CDC also reported a second new case involving a man in his 50s from Taoyuan. He developed a fever and headache in mid-July before collapsing two days after falling ill.

He was initially diagnosed with meningitis, but later tests confirmed Japanese encephalitis. He remains hospitalized and has shown a slight improvement in his level of consciousness, Lin said.

Health investigators found that the woman lived near rice paddies, a stream, pig farms and pigeon sheds, environments considered favorable for the mosquitoes that spread the virus.

Authorities have launched environmental investigations around the second patient's residence, installed mosquito traps and stepped up public education and childhood vaccination efforts in the area.

Taiwan has confirmed 10 cases of Japanese encephalitis this year, including one death. Six cases have been reported in Taoyuan, while Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi and Hualien counties have each recorded one, according to the CDC.

Although Taoyuan has reported the largest number of infections, CDC Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一均) said epidemiological investigations indicated the cases were not linked and did not constitute a cluster.

Following a meeting with infectious disease experts, authorities will identifying high-risk locations across the city, including pig farms and pigeon facilities, while working with agricultural agencies and pigeon-breeding associations to strengthen mosquito control. Officials have also begun deploying traps to reduce mosquito density.

Japanese encephalitis is spread in Taiwan primarily by Culex mosquitoes, including Culex tritaeniorhynchus, which breed in rice fields, irrigation ditches, ponds and other standing water, the CDC said.

The CDC said most infections cause no symptoms. Those who become ill typically develop fever and headache, while severe cases can lead to encephalitis, confusion, muscle weakness, seizures, coma or death.

Taiwan's Japanese encephalitis season typically runs from May through October, with transmission peaking in June and July, the CDC said.

Authorities urged people to avoid mosquito exposure at dawn and dusk, particularly near livestock facilities, and to wear long sleeves and use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin or IR3535 when exposure cannot be avoided.