14th enterovirus fatality reported for this year

Written by changthai11 on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

TAIPEI, Taiwan –– The Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday the 14th fatality fr

om enterovirus this year, confirming the death of an eight-month-old boy affected by enterovirus 71 (EV71), which can cause severe neurological damage.

Lin Ting, deputy director of the DOH’s Centers for Disease Control, said the patient became ill on May 30, and was taken to a local clinic for medical treatment the next day.

Without showing signs of getting well, the boy was transferred to a medical center on June 1, where he was admitted to an intensive-care ward. The following day, he was put on the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ecmo) life support system.

The system was removed on June 5, but the boy remained in critical condition, Lin said.

The patient, suffering from damage to the central nervous system of the brain, was transferred to a health care center on July 4, where he succumbed to the disease, passing away on Sept. 21, Lin noted. With rising public awareness about the outbreaks of the epidemic this year, only 13 suspected cases were reported as of Tuesday since Sept. 1, five of which were confirmed, according to Lin.