Taiwan’s Type B flu cases rise as Lunar New Year nears

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesperson Lo Yi-chun reported on Tuesday (Dec. 12) that while Type A influenza cases are decreasing, an upward trend in Type B infections might lead to a flu epidemic around the Lunar New Year.

More than 6 million government-funded flu vaccines have been administered so far, with a vaccination rate exceeding 50 percent among senior citizens.

In Yilan, Lienchiang, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu, and Changhua counties, the vaccination rate for seniors has reached the target of 55 percent.

Lee Chia-lin, deputy director of the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center, indicated that influenza outpatient and emergency department visits in week 49 stood at 44,633, showing a recent downward trend of the flu.

Data from the past four weeks demonstrate that adenoviruses (34.3%) were the leading respiratory pathogens isolated by contracted laboratories, followed by influenza (28.1%) and parainfluenza viruses (18.2%). Among the flu viruses, H3N2 is more prevalent than H1N1, with a rising proportion of Type B influenza cases.

Last week, there were 14 new severe influenza complications and three additional deaths, with individuals aged in their 30s to over 70, most having chronic illnesses and two of whom were unvaccinated.

As of Dec. 11, a total of 6.098 million public-funded flu vaccine doses have been administered, with 2.11 million doses given to the elderly, achieving a vaccination rate of 50.4%, which still falls short of the target rate of 55 percent.

With around 500,000 doses of government-funded flu vaccine remaining, officials are urging eligible citizens to get vaccinated promptly.

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