Flu epidemic might end this week, CDC reports

PROJECTION: Past trends suggest that flu activity tends to rise and reach another peak around Lunar New Year holidays, but it depends on a few factors, an official said

• By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

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Medical visits for flu-like illness fell to 95,916 last week, and the epidemic period might end this week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

Young children who are getting vaccinated against the flu for the first time need two doses to build baseline immunity, the centers said.

Flu viruses have remained the most common respiratory pathogen spreading locally in the past four weeks, with influenza A(H1N1) still being the dominant strain, accounting for about 92.7 percent, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said.

Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: CNA

Medical visits for flu-like illnesses dropped to 95,916 last week, and emergencyroom visits accounted for 9.8 percent, lower than the epidemic threshold of 11 percent, he said.

Although flu activity has declined, 151 severe cases and 46 flu-related deaths were reported last week, Guo said.

In Asia, flu activity in Japan and South Korea continued to increase, while it fluctuated in China, and declined in Hong Kong and Singapore, he said, adding that flu activity in the US and Canada has also been rising.

Last week’s flu emergencyroom visits have dropped below the epidemic threshold, and the epidemic period might likely end after this week, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Min-cheng (林明誠) said.

Infants younger than six months are not eligible for flu vaccines, as their immune systems are not yet fully developed to respond to the vaccine, Ministry of Health and Welfare Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices convenor Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said.

Children getting their first flu shots should receive two doses, at least 28 days apart, to build a strong and lasting immune response, Lee said.

It is recommended that children aged six months to three years who received a dose of flu vaccine before last month to get the two-dose regimen administered 28 days apart, and those aged three to nine years in a similar situation should get one dose of flu vaccine this flu season, Lee said.

A comprehensive analysis on multiple international studies has shown that the two-dose flu vaccine regime for young children can increase protection by 10 to 30 percent, he said.

Children aged nine years or older should only receive one dose of vaccine this season, regardless of whether they have received a flu shot before, he said.

Lin said that trends suggest that flu activity tends to rise and reach another peak around the Lunar New Year holidays, but it still depends on the actual vaccine coverage rate, shifts in dominant flu strain, people flow during the holidays and other factors.