Dengue fever is a primary concern for middle aged and elderly people with chronic or potential diseases. The CDC has established the "Dengue Fever Medical Support Team" in order to prevent the continued spread of dengue fever, and to provide early diagnosis and treatment. The support team is comprised of seven preventative medicine doctors, principally working with domestic and international experts focusing on the treatment procedures and diagnosis methods for Dengue Fever patients through consultations and exchanges. For serious cases of dengue fever, the team contact hospitals who are treating such cases to keep a close eye on the current condition of these patients. The team also responds to local needs and offers diagnosis and professional treatment advice. 

The "Dengue Fever Medical Treatment Support Team" is comprised of qualified doctors specializing in internal medicine, infectious diseases, pulmonology, and family medicine, and they have also received training in epidemiology. Currently, in addition to the diagnosis and treatment of serious cases in the southern Taiwan and other recommendations, the prevalence of dengue fever in neighboring countries (i.e. Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines) has caused them to utilize fast-screening reagent results for primary analysis. In those countries, the use of fast-screening reagents to conduct screenings for dengue fever is already common practice. In addition to early diagnosis, this method is also conducive to the early and proper treatment of patients by medical institutions. Therefore, we are reminding the public that if you are experiencing fever, headache, pain behind your eyes, muscle and joint pain, rash, or other suspected symptoms to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Physicians may use rapid diagnosis reagent screenings to get quick and effective diagnosis of your condition and determine suitable treatments. 

Domestically, from August 25-31, there were 1,435 new cases of dengue fever, with 11 of these cases being immigrants and 1,424 being locals. Of these cases, 1,260 were in Tainan, 128 were in Kaohsiung, 9 were in New Taipei City, 6 were in Pingtung County, and possible sporadic cases have been reported in Taichung City, Taoyuan City, Xinzhu County, Miaoli County, Hualien County, Nantou County, Taipei City, and Yilan County. The cases in Tainan have accounted for 88% of all domestic cases since the beginning of the summer. This past week, the number of new dengue fever cases in Kaohsiung’s was 1.1 times greater than that of the previous week, with clusters of outbreaks in the Zuoying, Lingya, and Fengshan districts. After the beginning of summer in May of this year, domestic cases of dengue fever totaled 3,686 cases. Of these cases, 3,234 were in Tainan (with 4 deaths). Kaohsiung City had 389 cases, Pingtung County had 17 cases, and 46 cases were scattered throughout other cities and counties. There were 175 cases among primarily Indonesian and Southeast Asian immigrants. 

Outside of clearing breeding grounds for mosquitos that carry dengue fever, preventive measures in the public health and medical sectors also play an important role. The CDC will continue to focus on addressing the development of disease outbreaks, and it will integrate public health and medical resources to provide professional advice and assistance to ensure that the public is safe from the threat of disease.