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The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Center for Disease Control announced today the second case of severe enterovirus-related death this year. The affected individual is a newborn boy from the northern region who is less than one month old, confirmed to have contracted enterovirus infection complicated by severe illness, also infected with Echovirus. The infant exhibited symptoms of hepatitis and sepsis in mid-March, and ultimately, due to septic shock and multiple organ failure, he unfortunately passed away about a week after the onset of illness. The Center for Disease Control stated that the recent enterovirus outbreak has stabilized; however, severe cases are still being reported, urging the public to be aware of the symptoms in newborns and young children. So far this year, there have been a total of three confirmed cases of severe illness complicated by enterovirus, two of which have resulted in death, both involving newborns under one month old.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Centers for Disease Control announced today (25th) the second case of severe enterovirus-related death this year. The victim was a newborn baby boy from the northern region who was under one month old, similar to the first case this year, both infected with Echovirus and diagnosed with enterovirus infection complicated by severe illness. The infant began to show symptoms of hepatitis and septicemia in mid-March and unfortunately passed away about a week after the onset due to septic shock and multiple organ failure.

The director of the disease outbreak center at the CDC stated that the recent enterovirus epidemic remains at a low level, but cases of severe illness complicated by enterovirus infections continue to be reported. The epidemiologist pointed out that this case involved a premature baby boy from the northern region who was hospitalized due to respiratory distress and was admitted to the children’s ICU in mid-February. By the time he was three weeks old, the infant exhibited symptoms such as low blood oxygen, increased inflammation markers, and elevated liver indices, prompting the hospital to start antibiotic treatment, after which thrombocytopenia developed.

Upon examination, the patient was confirmed to have an enterovirus infection, and typing tests confirmed it as Echovirus type 11. During the hospital stay, he experienced continued low blood oxygen, low blood pressure, and deterioration of kidney and heart function, ultimately passing away about a week after the onset due to septic shock and multiple organ failure. Investigation results showed that family contacts, other newborns in the same ward, and healthcare personnel showed no suspected symptoms, and the exact source of infection remains to be clarified.

The director of the disease outbreak center mentioned that recent monitoring data indicate that the enterovirus epidemic is still fluctuating. In the past week, there were 3,878 visits for emergency and outpatient care, but there have been ongoing reports of cases with severe complications from enterovirus infections. Additionally, laboratory monitoring over the past four weeks showed that infections with Coxsackie A16 were the most common, followed by Coxsackie A6 and various types of enteroviruses including Echovirus type 11. Newborns infected with Echovirus are more likely to develop severe illness.

The CDC spokesperson noted that there have been a total of three confirmed cases of severe illness complicated by enterovirus infection this year (including two deaths), all of which were infected with Echovirus type 11. Among these, two cases were newborns under one month old, and the number of severe cases is slightly higher than the historical data from 2021 to 2024 (ranging from 0 to 1 case). The public is urged to pay attention to the early warning symptoms of severe enterovirus illness in newborns and young children.