The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) said today (the 24th) that this week coincides with the start of schools at all levels. To prevent enterovirus from spreading through frequent interactions among students, or being brought home by students to infect infants and toddlers, it reminds staff of childcare institutions and parents to strengthen teaching children to properly wash hands with soap and other good hygiene practices, and to pay attention to ventilation, cleaning and disinfection of home and learning environments. If a child is diagnosed by a doctor with an enterovirus infection, they should rest at home and avoid contact with other children to reduce the risk of cross‑infection.
According to CDC monitoring data, the domestic enterovirus situation is at a low point, but there remains a risk of community transmission. In week 7 (February 15–21), emergency and outpatient visits totaled 1,856, a 64.7% decrease from the previous week (5,262), mainly because week 7 coincided with the Spring Festival holiday, affecting many outpatient clinics. Continued observation of subsequent epidemic changes is needed; so far in 2026 there are no confirmed cases of severe complications from enterovirus infection. Laboratory surveillance over the past four weeks shows that the predominant community enterovirus strains are Coxsackie A6, followed by Coxsackie A4 and Coxsackie A16. Among neighboring countries/regions, China's epidemic continues to decline, though it remains higher than in recent years; Vietnam experienced a severe epidemic in 2025, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and other cities, but the trend has been decreasing early this year, though attention is still needed for severe pediatric cases caused by EV71. Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are at low points or stable, while Hong Kong shows a fluctuating rise from the low point. Considering that during the holiday period many citizens travel home to visit relatives or travel abroad, and schools resume after the holidays, the public is urged to pay special attention to the health of infants, toddlers, and school‑age children; if a child contracts enterovirus, watch for signs of severe disease.
The CDC reminds that enterovirus is highly contagious; besides young children, adolescents and even adults can be infected, although symptoms are usually mild and hard to distinguish from a cold. The most effective preventive measure is frequent hand washing with soap. Parents and childcare staff should teach children that when entering crowded, highly interactive places such as after‑school programs, nurseries, or indoor playgrounds, they must properly wash hands using the five steps “wet, lather, rinse, dry, wipe” before returning home or eating. It should also be noted that alcohol has limited virucidal effect on enterovirus; regular disinfection of general environments should use chlorine bleach solution at 500 ppm (10 L water + 100 mL chlorine bleach) to reduce transmission risk.
The CDC urges that if a child at home is infected with enterovirus, caregivers should monitor changes in condition. If signs of severe disease appear—such as drowsiness, confusion, poor vitality, weakness in limbs, muscle jerks (unexplained startle or sudden whole‑body muscle contraction), persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, or accelerated heart rate—immediately take the child to a major hospital for treatment. For more information, visit the CDC’s website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw) or call the toll‑free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 (or 0800‑001922).
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Data compiled by: Sensory Management Office
