CDC reports 5th enterovirus fatality this year

The latest victim was a two year old boy who had probably been infected by his older sister in the central county of Taichung, said Chou Jih-haw, deputy director of the CDC under the Department of Health (DOH).

The fifth fatal case involving the deadly disease prompted the DOH to formally activate an enterovirus epidemic command center headed by DOH chief Lin Fang-yue to contain the further spread of the disease.

Enterovirus is a virus that enters the body through the gastrointestinal tract and thrives there. The virus is the most common cause of aseptic meningitis and can cause serious illness, especially in infants, children under the age of five, and the immune compromised.

Taiwan could experience a major enterovirus outbreak once every 10 years and 2008 could be part of that cycle.

In 1998, there were 405 serious EV71 cases recorded throughout Taiwan, 78 of which were fatal.

The number of serious cases has since declined. In 2000, only a few cases were documented and there have been no serious enterovirus outbreaks reported since 2005.

Chou said the infected toddler was brought to the hospital on June 3 after noticing symptoms. But he became the first fatal case in Taichung County of central Taiwan on Monday.

This case indicated that the disease has been gradually spreading from the southern parts of the island to the north.

The country’s fourth enterovirus-related fatality was reported recently in late May.

There have been 176 confirmed enterovirus cases so far this year and eight children, mostly under 5, are presently still in intensive care units at several different hospitals.

The victims, mostly under age 5, were infected mainly with the same enterovirus strain — EV71.

Some medical experts said the number of serious EV71 cases could probably surge to 300 by the end of June.

The spread of the disease tends to peak in mid-June, they said.

The scourge of serious type EV71 enterovirus outbreaks this year first occurred in Kaohsiung city and county and in Pingtung city and county, gradually spreading northward.

The enterovirus epidemic command center will enforce containment by suspending classes at infected schools while launching campaigns to promote public awareness and ways to avoid infection.

Any classroom, daycare center or kindergarten that report two enterovirus cases should be closed for one week to be disinfected.

A total of 368 classes were suspended temporarily during the past five months due to classmates’ infection with the disease.

There are currently 69 classes in suspension.

Medical workers who fail to report the disease cases to the authorities and schools or kindergartens that fail to comply with the rules of temporary shutdown of operations will be penalized, and possibly fined.

CDC officials expected the spread of the virus among schoolchildren and the suspension of classes will soon be sharply reduced when the schools start the summer break.

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