TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Children’s Day approaches, the Pingtung Christian Hospital reported a rise in influenza A virus in children and enterovirus cases.
In a social media post on Monday (April 3), Pingtung Christian Hospital thanked the Yung Chiang Foundation for bringing gifts to the hospital as well as a magic show. As most Taiwanese use the five-day Tomb Sweeping Festival and Children’s Day to rest, the foundation hoped to bring some entertainment and joy to the children and at the same time, relieve parents of caregiving duties.
According to the hospital, most recently admitted inpatients are preschool-age children suffering from the influenza A virus, enterovirus, or symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. There has been a gradual rise in enterovirus cases, including a newborn infected with the rare D68 virus, which comes with atypical symptoms such as fever, runny nose, coughing, and heavy breathing.
Zhuo Te-sung (卓德松), a pediatrician at the hospital, was cited as saying that apart from COVID-19, other respiratory tract infections such as influenza A, mycoplasma pneumonia, and adenovirus cases have not decreased despite the warming weather. Aside from common symptoms in children such as fever, soreness, and fatigue, parents should also pay attention to signs of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Additionally, if children show symptoms such as drowsiness, loss of consciousness, decreased activity, weakness in limbs, convulsions, continued vomiting, fast breathing, or accelerated heartbeat, they should be taken to the hospital immediately, Zhuo said.
Pediatrician Zhuo Te-sung poses for a photo with a child patient, who received a Children's Day gift, and his mother. (Facebook, Pingtung Christian Hospital photo)