According to the statistics released by the Central Epidemic Command Center (hereafter referred to as “the Center”), the number of reported dengue fever cases in Kaohsiung City has increased to 167 as of yesterday (7/12). The number of cases is 77 less than that reported on the same day last week. An additional five cases were reported in Tainan, which are 13 cases fewer than that reported on the same day last week. As of yesterday, the total number of reported cases nationwide was 183, with 11 mortalities confirmed to be associated with dengue fever. 
 
The dengue fever epidemic is gradually alleviating in Kaohsiung City. However, dengue fever remains at its epidemic peak, with the majority of cases concentrated in the Sanming, Fengshan, Cianjhen, and Lingya Districts. Epidemic prevention personnel continue to concentrate prevention efforts in outbreak regions to ensure that the epidemic does not outlive the winter season. Since the summer season, nationwide cases have accumulated to 40,919, with 22,696 cases in Tainan, 17,397 cases in Kaohsiung City, and 325 cases in Pingtung County. Additionally, the accumulated mortalities of dengue fever has reached 195 (112 in Tainan, 81 in Kaohsiung, and 2 in Pingtung). 24 other mortalities (3 in Tainan City and 21 in Kaohsiung City) are suspected to be caused by dengue fever, with further investigations required. Currently, 50 victims remain in ICU for treatment. A total of 39,392 full recovery cases are accounted for, for a recovery rate of 96.3%. 
Fourteen suspected mortalities of dengue fever have been reviewed this week (13 in Kaohsiung City and 1 in Tainan City). Eleven mortalities have been linked to dengue fever, of which all are in Kaohsiung City, comprising 6 men and 5 women between the ages of 29 and 84. The onset dates occurred between 9 and 24 November, and the dates of the mortalities occurred between 14 and 28 November. Besides a 29-year-old male subject, who developed cerebral palsy, a number of the victims suffered from chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease. 
 
Based on the 174 dengue fever mortality cases reported from the beginning of the summer season to 23 November, the CDC found that the number of male victims was slightly higher than female victims. The majority of the victims were aged 60 and over (median=76) with 95.4% of the victims suffering from various forms of chronic diseases. The most prominent chronic illnesses were hypertension and diabetes. These observations were consistent with past dengue fever mortality cases. A preliminary comparison between the variables of the mortality cases reported in Kaohsiung and Tainan, including gender, age, chronic illness history, warning signs, diagnostic criteria for severe diseases, onset-to-reporting periods, and onset-to-mortality periods, showed no significant differences other than age (mean age in Kaohsiung was 72.6, which was slightly lower than the mean age of 76.3 in Tainan). An analysis on the onset-to-reporting periods (1.9 days) and onset-to-mortality periods (6.4 days) indicated that the pathogenesis of dengue fever progressed extremely rapidly. 
 


The Center reminds the public that the foreign entry of dengue fever cases has accumulated to 321 cases, of which the majority of cases originated from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Citizens travelling to these hotspots should ensure that anti-mosquito measures are fully implemented to prevent infection from bites and stings. Although temperatures are gradually declining, temperatures in Tainan remain warm enough to incubate vector mosquitoes. Thus, the Center encourages citizens to continuously clean and organize their living environments to effectively reduce the risk of contracting dengue fever. Relevant information can be viewed on the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov.tw), and questions may be directed to the 1922 toll-free hotline (or 0800-001922).