CDC reports year’s first severe enterovirus casesFLU SURGE: Hospital visits for flu symptoms jumped 59.4 percent last week from the previous week, but the CDC said it expects flu activity to fall in the next two weeksBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe year’s first two cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications were reported last week, including a child younger than five who is being treated in an intensive care unit (ICU), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Enterovirus A71 is more severe because it has a higher risk of causing severe neurological complications, but enterovirus 68 can also cause severe complications, Lin said. However, as enterovirus 68 infection often begins with mild cold-like respiratory symptoms, it might easily be overlooked, he said. Enterovirus activity remains relatively low, with 2,743 hospital visits for enterovirus infection reported last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Surveillance data showed that coxsackievirus A6 was the most commonly detected enterovirus strain in the past four weeks, followed by coxsackievirus A4 and coxsackievirus A16, he said.

Source: Taipei Times March 03, 2026 17:19 UTC