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Taiwan confirms 11 new deaths from dengue fever

Xinhua, December 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Another 11 deaths related to dengue fever were confirmed in Taiwan, taking the death toll since May to 195, the island' s disease control agency announced Tuesday.

The new cases, six male and five female, were reported from Kaohsiung city in south Taiwan, aged between 29 and 84, the agency said in a press release.

Among them was a 29-year-old man with cerebral palsy, the youngest victim recorded so far this year. Most of the other deceased suffered from chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease, the agency statement said.

The health authorities are still investigating 24 suspected cases, while 50 people are receiving treatment in intensive care units.

The total number of dengue fever cases has reached 40,919.

Most cases were recorded in Kaohsiung and Tainan, two major cities in south Taiwan. The situation in Kaohsiung has steadily eased with 167 new cases on Monday, though still in an active outbreak. Tainan only reported five cases on Monday.

The 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 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