Taiwan reportsfirst local case of dengue fever in 2018

台灣於2018年出現首例本土登革熱病例

A Kaohsiung man in his 30s who has not traveled recently, reported symptoms on June 28, and was diagnosed with dengue fever


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control announced on Monday, June 2, that the first locally-acquired case of dengue fever has been reported in the country for 2018.

The patient is a man in his 30s livingin Kaohsiung, whose symptoms of fever, headache, and loss of appetite were reported to local medical professionals on June 28.

He was hospitalized on June 30 after symptoms increased in severity along with serious muscle pain. He was subsequentlydiagnosed with dengue virus type 3 (DENV-3).

Although Taiwan has already seen 94 cases reported this year, they have so far all been imported from abroad mostly from Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines.

In the current case, the man had not traveled recently, and had stuck to his regular routine throughout the incubation period, leading professionals to conclude that the case is indigenous, reports Outbreak News.

There are four recognized varieties of dengue viruses, which are transmitted through bites from the Aedes mosquito. The disease does not spread through the air, so those infected are not contagious.

The Deputy Director-General of the Centers for Disease Control Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said that no family members or neighbors of the patient have developed any symptoms, so hopefully it will remain an isolated case.

Liberty Times reports that Kaohsiung experienced a minor DENV-3 outbreak in 2010, but there have been very few cases reported of the strain in Taiwan since then.

The DENV-3 strain, which originated in the Philippines, is considered less likely to lead to severe complications. Reports suggest that a major outbreak is unlikely this year.