Seven patients on Penghu, a group of islands off southwestern Taiwan proper, have been confirmed infected with indigenous dengue fever, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday, noting that it was the first time in 10 years the archipelago reported such an epidemic. All the cases were reported in Magong, the capital city of Penghu County, CDC Deputy Director General Shih Wen-yi said. The case number was the second largest in Taiwan, he noted.
Since the beginning of summer, Taiwan recorded a total of 238 confirmed cases of dengue fever infection as of Sept. 28. Of those cases, 211 were in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Shih said.
Penghu has little experience in combat against dengue fever outbreaks because it had been free of the mosquito-borne infectious disease for one decade.
In response, the CDC has dispatched its quarantine personnel to the islands to help with disease control and prevention, the official added.
Shih also warned that signs point to a rise of indigenous dengue fever in Taiwan. He suggested those who fall ill with symptoms like fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain visit doctors at once, and inform the physicians of where they had traveled before feeling ill to help doctors diagnose them.
Dengue fever is a viral disease spread by bites of infected mosquitoes, which often breed in stagnant water close to homes.
(By Lung Ruei-yun and Elizabeth Hsu) enditem/ly
ORIGINAL SOURCE: http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201110010003
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