The CDC announced today (the 12th) that a hospital dengue fever cluster occurred in Kaohsiung City. The CDC has formed a rapid response team to support various prevention and control efforts in Kaohsiung. According to the health authority’s epidemic investigation, the related cases share a common activity history. The health authorities have conducted vector mosquito density surveys and source elimination around the cases’ residences and activity sites, promoted self‑health monitoring among nearby residents, and asked local medical institutions to increase reporting vigilance, urging the public to cooperate with health‑authority control measures to prevent the spread of the outbreak.
The CDC stated that the index case of this cluster is a woman in her 70s from Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, with a chronic disease history. She was hospitalized on May 29 due to illness, discharged on June 10, and readmitted on June 11 because of fever, dizziness and other symptoms. Testing confirmed dengue fever type 2, and co‑habitants currently have no suspected symptoms. Following expanded epidemic investigation and testing by health authorities, four additional dengue‑positive cases were identified in adjacent wards during the index case’s hospitalization, indicating a cluster. The health authorities have listed contacts during the incubation and infectious periods of the related cases and planned expanded testing to identify potential infections.
CDC monitoring data show that as of June 12, 2026, a total of 74 confirmed dengue cases have been reported this year, including 6 locally transmitted cases, all residing in Kaohsiung City; the remaining 68 were imported, all from Southeast and South Asian countries, with Indonesia (21 cases) being the most common, followed by the Maldives (14 cases) and Vietnam (9 cases). This year’s cumulative case count is comparable to the same period in 2025 (78 cases) and lower than the same period in 2024 (271 cases). The global dengue situation continues, with over 1.02 million cases reported worldwide up to April this year, primarily in the Americas, especially Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia. In neighboring Asian countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, recent outbreaks have risen, and Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, the Maldives and East Timor have reported higher case numbers this year than the same period last year.
The CDC reminds that the rainy season has begun, and rainfall across Taiwan has increased standing water containers, which favor vector mosquito breeding. The public is urged to thoroughly clean indoor and outdoor environments and eliminate breeding sources, and to intensify inspections after rain to reduce mosquito density; when outdoors, wear light‑colored long‑sleeved clothing and use government‑approved repellents containing DEET, Picaridin or IR‑3535. If fever, headache, retro‑orbital pain, muscle or joint pain, rash or other suspected dengue symptoms appear, seek medical care promptly and inform about travel history. Medical facilities should stay vigilant, enhance questioning of patients about TOCC (travel, occupation, contact, cluster history), and may use dengue NS1 rapid tests to aid early diagnosis and reporting, enabling health authorities to implement control measures promptly. For dengue‑related information, visit the CDC global website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw) for reference, or call the toll‑free epidemic prevention line 1922 (0800-001922) for inquiries.
Source: CDC
Data compiled: Infection Control Office
