Taiwan dengue outbreak: Tainan City reports surge in past week

Tainan City health officials reported a total of 78 new dengue fever cases during the past week (7/21 to 7/27), a three-fold increase in cases during the previous week, prompting health officials to ask the public to remove stagnate water at their homes in an effort to eliminate mosquitoes.

According health officials (computer translated), the new local cases were reported in Xinhua District, Guanmiao District, Yongkang District, Anding District and Anping District.

Dengue activity is increasing rapidly after intermittent heavy downpours have hit Southern Taiwan.

Health department inspections of residences seized 3,657 water containers, of which 526 containers have breeding of vector mosquito larvae.

Nationally, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control reported a total of 89 new dengue cases during the same period, including 85 indigenous dengue cases and 4 imported.

In addition to Tainan City’s cases, locally acquired cases were reported in Kaohsiung City (6) and Taichung City (1).

To date, a cumulative total of 318 indigenous dengue cases have been confirmed in Taiwan. Since this May, a cumulative total of 216 indigenous dengue cases have been confirmed, including 149 cases in Tainan City, 61 cases in Kaohsiung City, 3 cases in Hsinchu County, 2 cases in Taichung City, and 1 in Chiayi County.

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