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Widespread epidemic by end of August
News Desk
The China Post
Publication Date: 12-08-2009
With the increasingly rapid transmission of the A(H1N1) virus, Taiwan's health authorities said that the country will likely be dealing with a widespread epidemic by the end of August at the earliest, local media reported Tuesday (August 11).
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Director General Steve Kuo said that the approximate total number of infections in Taiwan is now in the tens of thousands, and given the recent sweeping figure of 6,000 mild flu cases seen per week, officials will be bracing for a more serious contagion. The disease has spread more extensively across the island and at a higher rate in the last three weeks, and of those diagnosed with flu-like symptoms, 21 per cent are confirmed as having the flu, with 90 per cent of that pool carrying the new strain, Kuo said.
According to the CDC, in two to three weeks' time, total infections will likely cross the assessment mark that was set by officials to denote a more serious nationwide outbreak, with Taiwan entering flu season a full month ahead of schedule. But Kuo once again said the World Health Organization had already signaled the pandemic alarm and raised its alerts from phase 5 to phase 6 back in June.
News Desk
The China Post
Publication Date: 12-08-2009
With the increasingly rapid transmission of the A(H1N1) virus, Taiwan's health authorities said that the country will likely be dealing with a widespread epidemic by the end of August at the earliest, local media reported Tuesday (August 11).
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Director General Steve Kuo said that the approximate total number of infections in Taiwan is now in the tens of thousands, and given the recent sweeping figure of 6,000 mild flu cases seen per week, officials will be bracing for a more serious contagion. The disease has spread more extensively across the island and at a higher rate in the last three weeks, and of those diagnosed with flu-like symptoms, 21 per cent are confirmed as having the flu, with 90 per cent of that pool carrying the new strain, Kuo said.
According to the CDC, in two to three weeks' time, total infections will likely cross the assessment mark that was set by officials to denote a more serious nationwide outbreak, with Taiwan entering flu season a full month ahead of schedule. But Kuo once again said the World Health Organization had already signaled the pandemic alarm and raised its alerts from phase 5 to phase 6 back in June.
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