Dengue fever peak season has passed on the island of Taiwan and the dengue activity has gradually slowed. The total indigenous dengue cases has neared 10,000. Among the 9,954 locally acquired cases confirmed since this summer, 9,347 cases were confirmed in Kaohsiung City.
In 2013, Taiwan reported 860 dengue fever cases total.
There has been 9 fatalities due to dengue hemorrhagic fever this year to date, according to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
In an effort to eliminate the Aedes mosquito in dengue-stricken Kaohsiung, health officials are attempting to kill mosquito larvae by flooding drainage systems in two dengue fever-affected wards with sea water, according to a Focus Taiwan report Monday.
“Mosquito larvae soaked in sea water with an average salinity of over 30 practical salinity units (PSU) for 12 hours will die,” Health department technical specialist Chen Chao-tung said.
The sea water in the drainage system will eventually flow into the sea and will not cause any pollution, causing less damage to the environment that pesticides, Chen said.
Taiwan CDC stresses although the peak of the dengue season has passed, the risk of dengue hemorrhagic fever remains high. Once again, Taiwan CDC reminds the public to reinforce the removal of vector-breeding sites and ensure the cleanliness of the environment as well as take precautions against mosquito bites in order to minimize the risk of dengue infection and physicians to stay alert for prodromal signs of dengue hemorrhagic fever in patients such as abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, mucosal bleeding, and lethargy in order to facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment and reduce the occurrence of complications and deaths.
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