The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) today (the 9th) announced the country's first domestically confirmed case of paratyphoid fever in 2026, a man in his 50s from the north, with no travel history domestically or abroad during the incubation period, who developed fever, headache and body aches in late May, sought medical care and was tested and confirmed as paratyphoid fever. The case has now recovered and returned home to rest. One cohabiting family member and seven workplace contacts have no suspected symptoms, and stool samples have been collected and tested, all negative. Health authorities have initiated relevant prevention and control measures, conducting a detailed investigation of the case's dietary exposure history, and providing health education to contacts for health monitoring, implementing proper diet and hand hygiene, and supervising workplace sanitation management.
According to CDC statistical data, this year there has been a cumulative total of 1 domestic case of paratyphoid. From 2022 to this year, the cumulative domestic case numbers were 6, 26, 3, 0, 1 respectively, and the cumulative imported case numbers were 0, 2, 1, 1, 0 respectively. Among the imported cases from 2023 to 2025, the countries of infection were India (2 cases), Indonesia and Cambodia (1 case each).
According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, there were approximately 1.72 million cases of paratyphoid worldwide in 2023, with about 10,000 deaths, and the epidemic shows a decreasing trend year by year. The geographic distribution shows significant regional clustering, mainly concentrated in areas with weaker sanitation infrastructure, such as Southeast Asia being the highest, especially India (about 1.3 million cases, accounting for 75% of the global total), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific and Africa, with high case numbers also in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc. Developed countries face the risk of imported cases, such as Korea and Japan, which Taiwanese frequently travel to, still report occasional sporadic cases each year.
The CDC explained that paratyphoid is a Category 2 legally notifiable infectious disease, caused by the paratyphoid bacterium, an intestinal infection transmitted mainly through consumption of food or water contaminated with feces or urine from patients or carriers. The incubation period is usually 1 to 10 days, and the infectious period is 1 to 2 weeks. Common symptoms include persistent fever, headache, malaise, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, relative bradycardia, or a rash on the trunk. The CDC urges the public to always pay attention to food and hand hygiene, drink boiled or bottled water, ensure food is thoroughly cooked before consumption, and avoid cross‑contamination between raw and cooked foods during preparation. In addition, practice good personal hygiene: wash hands thoroughly with soap and clean water before meals, after using the toilet, before handling food, or after changing diapers, to effectively prevent infection.
The CDC reminds that if the public experiences suspected symptoms, please seek medical care promptly and inform about dietary history; medical institutions that identify suspected cases should report within 24 hours. Relevant information can be found on the CDC's global website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw) for inquiry, or call the free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 (or 0800-001922) for consultation.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Compiled by: Health Management Office
