Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-22
By: CNA

Taiwan’s southern city of Tainan has seen the first slowdown in the number of newly

A soldier sprays disinfectant in a village in Tainan, Sept. 21. (File photo/Huang Chung-yu)

reported daily cases of dengue fever after the epidemic surged for 14 consecutive weeks, but whether this indicates a steady decline will need to be watched over the next three weeks, the Central Epidemics Command Center said on Monday.

As of Sunday, Tainan has recorded a total of 11,462 cases of dengue fever, around 87% of the country’s total.

Chuang Jen-hsiang, deputy director-general of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said the number of dengue fever cases in Tainan has increased for 14 weeks in a row since the 22nd week, or late May this year.

But a first turnaround appeared last week when the number of cases was 2,920 (Sept. 13-19), lower than the 3,128 cases in the 36th week.     [FULL  STORY]

Outbreak News
Date: September 21, 2015
By: Robert Herriman
Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief ofOutbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch  Follow @bactiman63

The dengue fever outbreak in Taiwan has grown by an additional 443 indigenous cases on Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), bringing the total tally to 13,209.

The second meeting of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) for Dengue Outbreak occurred Friday and a multi-faceted approach in order to effectively bring the outbreak under control was discussed that would include mobilizing the military to support local governments in upscaling the implementation of the nationwide clean-up campaign of vector breeding sites.

In addition, CECC for Dengue Outbreak also announced the formation of “Vector Control Advisory Panel” consisting of 150 Pest Control Operators (PCO’s) certified by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC).

10 to 20 members would make up one unit and each unit would work for 1 to 2 weeks to coach district and village chiefs the proper ways to clean and remove vector breeding sites in Tainan City.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) would continue to reinforce health education about dengue in schools.

The majority of this year’s dengue cases have been confirmed in Tainan City (11,462) and Kaohsiung City (1,527).

To date,  a cumulative total of 25 deaths were found to be linked with dengue infection. 38 deaths, including 34 from Tainan City, and 2 each from Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County, are still waiting to be reviewed.

Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief ofOutbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch

Follow @bactiman63

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/21
By: Lung Pei-ning, Lee Hsin-yin and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Sept. 21 (CNA) Taiwan’s southern city of Tainan has seen the first slowdown in the number of newly reported daily cases of dengue fever after the epidemic surged for 14 consecutive weeks, but whether this indicates a steady decline will need to be watched over the next three weeks, the Central Epidemics Command Center said on Monday.

As of Sunday, Tainan has recorded a total of 11,462 cases of dengue fever, around 87 percent of Taiwan’s total.

Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥 ), deputy director-general of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said the number of dengue fever cases in Tainan has increased for 14 weeks in a row since the 22nd week, or late May this year.

But a first turnaround appeared last week when the number of cases was 2,920 (Sept. 13-19), lower than the 3,128 cases in the 36th week.

Another southern Taiwanese city that was also hit hard by the mosquito-borne dengue fever is Kaohsiung, where the number of dengue fever cases has continued to rise to 529 in the 37th week, compared with 129 cases, 232 cases and 364 cases in the 34th to 36th week.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/20
By: Lung Pei-ning, Lee Hsin-Yin and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) The number of dengue fever cases recorded since May has increased to 12,766, with 98.33 percent occurring in Tainan and Kaohsiung, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Sunday.

Of the 12,766 cases recorded, 9,608, or 75.26 percent, have recovered from the mosquito-borne disease, according to the CDC.

As of Saturday, 11,115 cases had been reported in Tainan, accounting for 87.07 percent of the total, an increase of 319 cases from the previous day, the CDC said.

Kaohsiung has had 1,438 cases, accounting for 11.26 percent, an increase of 65 cases from a day earlier.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-20
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Public Health Bureau in Taitung County confirmed that a holidaymaker has contracted

Dengue fever case reported on Orchid Island. Central News Agency

dengue fever on Orchid Island (also known as Lanyu), the first incident ever reported on one of Taiwan’s outlaying islands, reports said Sunday.

According to health authorities, a 31-year-old male from Tainan, who had visited the island from September 11 to 17, reported to Orchid Island’s health station to seek treatment on the 17th after feeling seriously ill a day prior.

The patient was confirmed to have contracted the mosquito-borne disease on the 18th after test results from his blood samples proved to be positive.

Healthcare staff immediately decontaminated the area by spraying pesticide around the hostel and health station. The Lanyu Township Office also sent its available staff to clean up environmental black spots and eliminate standing water in storage containers, such as flower pots, water buckets and discarded tires, to prevent another case of dengue fever from occurring on the island.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-18
By: CNA

Taiwan’s Consumers’ Foundation said Thursday that only one out of nine essential

Nine repellents tested by Consumers’ Foundation. (Photo/Chen Chih-chuan)

oil-based mosquito repellent products it has tested contains DEET — the most common active ingredient in insect repellents — while the quality of the eight others labeled as “natural” has not been identified by the Taiwanese authorities.

As the dengue fever outbreak continues to escalate in southern parts of Taiwan, the foundation called a press conference that day to explain the best way to select mosquito repellent.

The foundation released the test results of the nine samples it bought at a hypermarket Sept. 2, which show that while most of the products are marketed as “natural” or “non-toxic,” only one — Off Insect Repellent Solution — contains 15 percent DEET, officially certified as being effective against mosquitoes.

The foundation said, citing information from the United States, that bug spray products for use on children should contain less than 10% DEET. In addition, products containing DEET should not be used on infants younger than two months. Pregnant women should also avoid exposure to DEET products and adults are suggested to use only such products that contain less than 30% DEET.     [FULL  STORY]