A hundred and 50 people have died from dengue fever since the beginning of summer in Taiwan. The Central Epidemic Command Center said Wednesday it has confirmed that nine more suspected cases are indeed related to the disease.
Of the nine new cases that have been added to the death toll, five were women and four were men. Eight of the victims were from Kaohsiung and one from Tainan, with ages ranging between 54 and 81. Most of them also suffered from chronic illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, and strokes. The WHO has identified those factors as high risk.
So far, the epidemic has remained largely confined to the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan. Of the more than 30,000 cases of dengue fever reported since the beginning of summer in Taiwan, more than 20,000 originated in Tainan. But the outbreak has recently shifted to Kaohsiung.
The latest figures out on Wednesday showed 342 new cases of dengue fever reported in Kaohsiung; that’s a record one-day increase in new cases. Tainan is reporting 48 new cases, which is 20 less cases than reported last Wednesday.