The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) announced today (the 16th) a new case of severe complications from an enterovirus infection. The patient is a girl under 5 years old from northern Taiwan. In late May she developed fever and cough, visited a clinic, and later, as symptoms persisted with drowsiness and inability to eat on her own, she went to the emergency department and was hospitalized. During hospitalization she experienced rapid breathing, high fever, and limb weakness. Clinical assessment and reported laboratory testing confirmed acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) with infection by enterovirus D68, resulting in severe complications. She is currently being treated in the intensive care unit.
According to CDC monitoring data, the number of outpatient and emergency visits for enterovirus infections in week 23 (June 7–13) was 5,824, a slight increase of 2.4% from the previous week (5,686), indicating a modest upward trend recently. Laboratory surveillance over the past four weeks shows that the predominant community enterovirus strain is Coxsackie A6, followed by Coxsackie A4, enterovirus D68, and Coxsackie A10. So far in 2026, a total of five confirmed cases of severe complications from enterovirus infection (including one death) have been recorded: three cases of enterovirus D68, and one each of Coxsackie A4 and Coxsackie A16. Several neighboring countries/regions such as Vietnam, China, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong have also experienced rapid increases in enterovirus activity recently. In Vietnam, the outbreak is severe, with more than 34,400 cases reported up to April this year, primarily caused by enterovirus 71. China has reported over 280,000 cases up to May, Thailand over 13,000 cases to date, and the situations in South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong have entered a seasonal epidemic phase.
The CDC reminds that the symptoms of enterovirus D68 are mainly fever, runny nose, and cough, which differ from the typical enterovirus manifestations such as herpangina or hand‑foot‑mouth disease. A minority of patients may develop complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, or limb paralysis. Currently there is no vaccine or specific medication for prevention or treatment. The most effective preventive measures are proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette, avoiding crowded public places, and staying at home when ill, to reduce the risk of enterovirus transmission.
The CDC notes that the domestic season for enteroviruses has begun, making transmission easy in schools, childcare facilities, and other densely populated settings or households. Close interaction among schoolchildren increases the risk of spread. Relevant educational and childcare institutions should strengthen health monitoring of young children, enforce hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and ventilation, and regularly disinfect surfaces frequently touched by children—such as desks, toys, and door handles—using 500 ppm chlorine bleach solution. Households with infants or young children should maintain personal and environmental hygiene; before holding or feeding a baby after returning home, be sure to wash hands thoroughly with soap, monitor the child’s health, and keep sick children at home to reduce transmission risk.
The CDC again urges that children under five are a high‑risk group for severe enterovirus disease. If a physician diagnoses an enterovirus infection, monitor the child’s health closely. Warning signs of severe disease include drowsiness, confusion, lethargy, limb weakness or paralysis, muscle jerks (unexplained startle or sudden whole‑body muscle contraction), persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, or accelerated heart rate. If any of these appear, promptly take the child to a major hospital for treatment. For more information, visit the CDC’s global website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw), or call the toll‑free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 (or 0800-001922) for inquiries.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Compiled by: Infection Control Office
