讀後心得

Last week, Taiwan reported a new case of severe enterovirus-related death. The victim was a premature male infant who was less than a month old and succumbed to sepsis caused by enterovirus echovirus 11. The baby exhibited respiratory distress and multiple organ failure three weeks after birth, and despite the medical staff's best efforts to save him, his life could not be saved. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 3 reported cases of severe illness, with 2 fatalities, highlighting the threat posed by echovirus 11. Experts indicate that this virus primarily affects infants under three months of age and warn of the potential for an outbreak, urging parents to strengthen protective measures.

Last week, there was one new case of severe enterovirus-related death reported domestically. The case involved a premature infant boy who was less than a month old. After being born, he was admitted to the intensive care unit due to respiratory distress three weeks later, followed by symptoms of low blood oxygen, bradycardia, hepatitis, thrombocytopenia, and other signs of sepsis. Tests confirmed an infection with enterovirus type 11. Despite the medical staff's best efforts to save him, they eventually declared him dead due to sepsis caused by the enterovirus. According to statistics, there have been three cases of severe enterovirus before April this year, with two of them sadly resulting in deaths. Experts indicated that there has not been an outbreak of echovirus in the country since 2018. Researchers from National Taiwan University have shown that the antibody ratio of pregnant women against echovirus type 11 is very low, warning of a possible outbreak this year.

Infectious disease specialists stated that the infant boy developed symptoms approximately three weeks after birth. Along with the aforementioned symptoms, he also displayed low blood pressure, low blood oxygen, coagulation abnormalities, as well as multiple organ failures such as hepatitis, encephalitis, and myocarditis, ultimately leading to death. Epidemiological investigations showed that neither the parents nor the medical staff who came into contact with the baby exhibited any suspected symptoms of enterovirus, so the source of the infection remains to be determined. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2012, the proportion of echovirus type 11 patients under the age of one month has reached as high as 60%, while those under one year old account for even 80%. In other words, unlike general enteroviruses primarily affecting children under five years old, the high-risk group for echovirus type 11 mainly consists of infants under three months old.

Experts emphasize that echovirus can be considered "another type of enterovirus" because it mainly affects infants under three months of age and does not trigger hand, foot, and mouth disease, but instead can cause fever and nonspecific rashes, potentially leading to multiple organ failures such as hepatitis, encephalitis, and myocarditis, which significantly increases the risk of severe outcomes and death.

It was noted that National Taiwan University Hospital conducted a serological study on pregnant women in 2021, finding that the proportion of pregnant women with echovirus antibodies was quite low. This indicates that newborns cannot rely on their mother's antibodies to resist enterovirus type 11, hence the possibility of a major outbreak this summer cannot be ruled out. Caregivers and environments for infants under three months need to be particularly cautious regarding disinfection.