TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's flu season has not yet peaked before the Lunar New Year for the first time since 2013, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾管署) announced Tuesday (Feb. 3). The pattern excludes the COVID-19 period from 2021 to 2023, the CDC noted. The CDC, Taiwan's national health authority, predicted the flu outbreak will peak after the Lunar New Year holiday, with increased travel and gatherings potentially affecting approximately 120,000 individuals.
CDC spokesperson Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) reported that flu-like illness outpatient visits reached 116,281 last week, up 3.2% from the previous week, with a steady upward trend. Last week saw 25 new severe flu cases, including one H1N1, 18 H3N2, one untyped A, and five B-type cases, with one H3N2-related death. Seniors aged 65 and older accounted for 61% of severe cases, while those with underlying chronic conditions made up 83%. Notably, 86% of severe cases had not received this season's influenza vaccination.
Lin highlighted a shift in virus strains, with B-type flu cases rising from 17% to 23.9% over the past two weeks, representing a 7% increase. The transition from A-type to B-type flu could lead to prolonged flu seasons and an increase in patient numbers, the CDC warned. The agency noted the trend still requires further observation but represents a significant development in this year's influenza patterns that health authorities are monitoring closely.
The CDC warned that global influenza activity remains high, with nearby countries including South Korea and Japan seeing rising trends in recent weeks. Influenza B predominates in South Korea, while both H3N2 and influenza B are co-circulating in Japan, and Hong Kong and China are experiencing relatively high or moderate levels of activity. Globally, H3N2 remains the dominant circulating strain, with countries across East and West Asia, Europe, North Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean reporting high influenza positivity rates. ◼