Taipei: Another newborn death linked to enterovirus complications, the fifth in 2025, has been confirmed, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Tuesday. The death involved a premature baby boy who began showing symptoms of lethargy and inactivity at four days old, a CDC news release said.
According to Focus Taiwan, the newborn later developed signs of neonatal sepsis, including myocarditis, hepatitis, shock, and multiple organ failure, and died three days after showing symptoms. At a press conference, CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun stated that the baby boy tested positive for enterovirus. While the specific strain has yet to be confirmed, the symptoms and progression of the illness strongly suggest enteric cytopathic human orphan virus 11, also known as Echo 11.
Lo mentioned that the ongoing infant enterovirus epidemic in Taiwan may continue until the end of July. As a precaution, the CDC has ordered 1,720 childcare centers and 255 postpartum care centers nationwide to conduct self-assessments of their enterovirus prevention measures before July 15. Local governments will inspect the assessment results.
Lee Chia-lin, deputy director of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Center, reported that a total of 6,696 people sought medical assistance for enterovirus from June 22-28, marking a 2.8 percent decrease from the previous week. She noted that laboratory monitoring over the past four weeks showed Echo 11 to be the prevalent strain.
A total of nine severe enterovirus cases have been recorded in 2025, reaching a nearly six-year high, with six resulting in death, Lee stated. Of these, six were severe infant cases, five of which were fatal. Five involved the Echo 11 strain, while the sixth is still under investigation.
Regarding the general enterovirus outbreak, Lo noted that the recent decline in clinic visits might be due to the start of the summer vacation, which has reduced large gatherings on school campuses. However, he cautioned that with many summer activities set to begin in the coming weeks, the epidemic could see a resurgence.