EDITORIAL : Dengue fever can be beatenThe number of local dengue fever cases has rapidly increased since the first case was reported on June 13, jumping to more than 300 cases in a month. The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) disease surveillance data on Wednesday confirmed 322 local dengue cases — the highest number for the same period since 2017. The reports have prompted experts to warn about secondary dengue (infection with another serotype after a previous infection), which is linked to greater risk of developing more severe symptoms, including dengue shock syndrome and dengue hemorrhagic fever. A 2015 study by the CDC and National Taiwan University on dengue hemorrhagic fever cases between 2003 and 2013 found that people aged 60 or older with DENV-2 were most at risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever after infection, and that fatality risk grows 10-fold in those aged 60 or older with diabetes and who have dengue hemorrhagic fever. No specific method exists to treat dengue fever and averting mosquito bites is the best way to prevent it.

Source: Taipei Times July 15, 2023 17:08 UTC