Taipei Times
Date: Dec 31, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged people to take precautions
The entrance to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control is pictured on Dec. 24.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
against the flu over the New Year’s holiday, as flu cases have been on the rise in Taiwan over the past few weeks.
In the week ending on Dec. 22, a total of 68,148 people sought outpatient or emergency treatment for flu-like symptoms at hospitals and clinics across the nation, compared with 61,628 people the week before, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said, adding that 20 of the patients — 85 percent of whom had not received flu vaccines — developed serious flu complications.
The predominant flu strain over the past four weeks has been H3N2, Chuang said.
Temperatures during the New Year holiday and the rest of the week are expected to be relatively low, and Chuang urged people who plan on participating in New Year’s Eve festivities to protect themselves against the flu by wearing masks and frequently washing their hands. [FULL STORY]
