Taipei: A 3-month-old boy has become the youngest severe influenza case of the current flu season after contracting influenza B and developing bacterial pneumonia, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced. The infant was initially admitted to an intensive care unit but was later transferred to a general ward after his condition stabilized on the seventh day of hospitalization. He was discharged in mid-February after a total of 10 days in the hospital.

According to Focus Taiwan, the CDC reported that 58,075 outpatient and emergency visits for influenza-like illness were recorded from February 15 to Saturday during the Lunar New Year holiday. During this period, five new severe influenza cases and two deaths were reported. CDC epidemiologist Lin Yung-ching shared these details during a regular news briefing.

CDC spokesperson Lin Ming-cheng mentioned that influenza-related visits accounted for 12.1 percent of all emergency department visits during the holiday. However, only one day saw all counties and cities exceed the epidemic threshold of 11 percent, with levels dropping the following day. The CDC estimates that influenza activity will not enter an epidemic period after outpatient services resume, and expanded eligibility for publicly funded antiviral medication will conclude on Saturday.

CDC Director-General Lo Yi-chun explained that based on recent trends, influenza B is expected to surpass influenza A in March. Although a small wave of infections is anticipated in spring, with weekly visits possibly reaching 110,000, it is not expected to reach an epidemic level. Lo also noted that because three major influenza types have already circulated this season, the likelihood of a summer influenza outbreak this year is not high.