TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan reported a significant spike in diarrhea-related clinic visits from Feb. 16-22, with 304,418 cases, marking a 5.1% increase from the previous week, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 衛福部疾管署) on Tuesday (Feb. 25).
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) noted this is the highest number recorded for the same period over the past five years. The center received 410 reports of diarrhea outbreaks over the past four weeks, also a five-year high. Guo stated that the majority of these outbreaks occurred in the food and hospitality sectors, with 203 cases testing positive for pathogens. Norovirus was identified in 195 cases, accounting for 96.1% of positive results.
CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) emphasized the importance of maintaining hand and food hygiene. She advised individuals experiencing symptoms like watery diarrhea and vomiting to seek medical attention promptly and rest at home to reduce the spread of intestinal diseases. Tseng urged food and hospitality industries to enhance hygiene management to protect public health.
The CDC highlighted that norovirus, a highly contagious pathogen, can infect individuals of any age through contaminated food, water, or surfaces and close contact with infected persons. The virus has an incubation period of 10-50 hours.
Norovirus infections typically manifest as acute gastroenteritis, with symptoms such as watery diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever, headache, abdominal cramps, stomach pain, and muscle aches. These symptoms can last from one to 10 days, with severity varying based on the pathogen and individual immunity. Young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems may experience more severe symptoms.
