The number of dengue fever cases in Taiwan continue to mount as the Southeast Asian country has recorded more than four times the number of cases this year compared to 2013.
According to a Focus Taiwan report, Taiwan had reported 1,113 dengue fever cases as of Aug. 25 this year, compared with 272 during the same period of 2013 according to Taiwan CDC data.
In fact, last week Taiwan reported nearly the same number of cases as all of 2013–226 vs 272. The bulk of the cases are being reported from Kaohsiung.
13 cases have been of the more serious hemorrhagic fever type, while two people have died.
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.
