More infections reported as Taiwan enters flu season: CDC

Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) Nearly 110,000 people visited the doctor with influenza-like symptoms last week in Taiwan, up 6 percent compared to the previous week as the country enters flu season, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, 39 severe flu cases and 8 deaths were reported last week, as well as 91 cluster infections of upper respiratory tract cases, said CDC Deputy Director Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) at a regular briefing.

Among the deaths was a man in his 30s, who developed a fever and cough before it was determined that he had developed pneumonia in both lungs, the CDC said.

The man, who had potential neurological conditions, was later admitted to the intensive care unit due to respiratory failure, but died of pneumonia and septic shock two weeks after the onset of symptoms, according to the CDC.

While the number of flu cases — dominated by H1N1 and H3N2 viruses over the past month — could continue to grow, the rollout of government-funded vaccines on Oct. 2 should help curb the disease, Tseng said.

According to CDC statistics, 741 influenza cases with severe flu complications — of which more than half were over 65 — were reported from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 25, 2023.

The statistics showed that of the 164 individuals who developed severe symptoms and died in that period, 94 percent suffered from chronic diseases and 73 percent had not received a vaccine shot.

Taiwan’s flu season typically starts in October, escalates around November, and peaks by the end of the year or around the Lunar New Year which falls in late January to mid-February.