Taiwan confirms 16 new deaths caused by dengue fever

Taiwan's disease control agency confirmed another 16 deaths were caused by dengue fever, bringing the death toll since May to 174 across the island.

The new death cases were reported from Kaohsiung city in south Taiwan. The victims were aged between 35 and 88, the agency said in a press release.

Among them was the youngest victim so far this year, a 35-year-old woman. All of the deceased had suffered chronic diseases such as tumors, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

The health authorities are still investigating 14 suspected cases, the agency said.

The total number of dengue fever cases has reached 37,224 as of Monday.

Most cases were recorded in Kaohsiung and Tainan, two major cities in south Taiwan. The situation in Kaohsiung remained severe as 316 new cases were reported in the city on Monday.

The epidemic outbreak has been the worst in years, though the island is hit by the disease frequently. Last year the figure was 15,732 cases and 28 deaths and before that the annual cases were around 2,000.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne, potentially fatal disease that mainly affects people in tropical and subtropical regions, causing fever, nausea and muscle and joint aches. Endi