Young people not immune from flu virus: CDC

Deputy Director General Chou Jih-haw at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), under the Department of Health (DOH), confirmed that the nurse died on last Saturday, only six days after being infected with flu virus.

Public health officials in Taipei County said the nurse, working at a clinic in Zhonghe City, did not take anti-flu vaccine shot as a preventative measure. She had brought her two young children to hospital for flu treatment on Jan. 30.

The number of severe flu cases reported around Taiwan has increased to 17 since the winter season started, including four confirmed cases, eight suspected cases, and four cases still to be determined.

Among the four patients who died of flu infection, two were aged 30 and 39 respectively, according to the CDC statistics.

The total number of patients visiting hospitals for influenza treatment has reached more 163,000, representing a steep rise of 25 percent from the same period of last year.

CDC officials said the figure did not take into the account of people who purchased over-the-counter drugs at pharmacies.

They said people aged between 20 and 40 should be on heightened alert against the virus.

At the urging of the CDC, local-level county and city governments have stepped up vigilance against the spread of flu virus.

The Taipei County Government distributed more than 86,800 masks to students yesterday as elementary and high schools reopened for a new semester.

Due to the mutation of the flu virus, officials urged parents to take their children aged between two and five to public health stations or hospitals to take vaccine shots against pneumonia.

Teachers were also advised to remind schoolchildren to constantly wash their hands and avoid picking their noses or biting their nails in order to reduce the chance of infection.

In addition to maintaining a balanced diet and proper exercise, CDC officials said people having symptoms like fever, headache, sore throat and muscles, coughing, or fatigue should immediately go to hospital for treatment before allowing their condition to further deteriorate or affecting others.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet-level DOH launched yesterday a nationwide campaign to maintain readiness against possible outbreaks of epidemic diseases like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) or avian flu in Taiwan.

Yeh Chin-chuan, DOH chief, said at a gathering at the CDC that the comprehensive epidemic-prevention network integrates the medical resources in the nation by designating 25 large-scale hospitals in six districts of Taiwan responsible for contingency plans.

All the selected hospitals designated for the six districts — Taipei, northern Taiwan, central Taiwan, southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung-Pingtung area, and eastern Taiwan — are in turn supported respectively by medical centers or other large hospitals in their own areas assigned by the DOH.

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