Dengue cases top 17,000 in Taiwan

The number of dengue fever cases in Taiwan has increased to 17,112, with 98.39 percent occurring in Tainan and Kaohsiung cities, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said on Sunday.

As of Saturday, 14,811 cases had been reported in Tainan, accounting for 86.55 percent of the total, an increase of 366 cases from the previous day, Taiwan News Online reported.

Kaohsiung has had 2,025 cases, or 11.83 percent of the total, the CDC said.

Forty-two people have died of the disease since the outbreak in May, with the cause of death in an additional 42 cases as yet undetermined.

The disparity in the occurrence of cases is being attributed to different species of mosquitoes in southern and northern Taiwan.

In addition, the medical profession and members of the public are familiar with dengue fever symptoms which means a full blown national outbreak is unlikely, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang said.

The spike in dengue fever cases is unlikely to ease until January, by which time the total number of cases could reach 30,000-37,000, Chuang added.