Taiwan is set to launch the Central Epidemic Command Center to deal with this year’s outbreak of dengue fever. That’s as the total number of cases approaches 10,000 so far this summer.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo had said on Sunday that the center would be launched if the total number of cases surpassed 10,000, or if the number of cases in the southern city of Kaohsiung surpassed 1,000. According to the latest figures, Kaohsiung reached that number on Monday, prompting officials to move ahead with plans for the command center.
As of Monday, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) put the total number of cases at 9,566. The vast majority of those were in the southern city of Tainan alone. Those cases, along with the cases in Kaohsiung and Pingtung, account for nearly 99% of the total.
Cabinet Spokesman Sun Lih-chyun said Monday that the new command center would be run by Vice Premier Chang San-cheng, with the first meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Sun said that the establishment of the center would not mean that the central government was taking over epidemic prevention. Rather, he said that local governments would remain the first line of defense, while the central government would coordinate the efforts.
Experts say that this year’s strain of dengue fever is the type two virus, which has different symptoms from in previous years. They say that patients are exhibiting a longer lasting fever. Rashes and bone pain are not as common as in previous years, but doctors say that patients are more likely to be anxious or exhibit signs of depression. Blurry vision is also a common symptom.