Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taiwan Center for Disease Control (CDC/Taiwan) announced today that there is the peak season for enterovirus has begun, and published the latest survey results on caretakers for children under 5 years old. The survey showed that caretakers for children still do not know enough about the symptoms of severe enterovirus infection, especially about the myoclonic jerks, which only 68% of the public knew about. Furthermore, 45% of the caretakers still would choose to send the children who are showing symptoms of severe enterovirus infection to clinics. CDC/Taiwan would like to remind the public that since the disease may develop rapidly, if a child is showing signs of severe infection, he or she should be sent to a hospital right away in order to have the best chance for a full recovery.

According to the survey, 1/4 of all children have had been infected with the enterovirus. The caretakers scored 90% on the prevention and transmission of enterovirus. However, they only scored 75% on questions related to how children under 5 years old are more likely to suffer from severe infection. They also knew relatively less about the symptoms of a severe infection (Sleepiness: 76%, continuous vomiting: 75%, rapid breathing and heartbeat: 70%, and myoclonic jerks: 68%). 6% of the caretakers even believed that you would become immune to enterovirus if you have ever been infected.

90% of the caretakers know when best to wash their hands (before feeding the children, after returning home from outside, before touching the children, after using the washroom, and before and after visiting the doctor). 90% of the caretakers would regularly wash their hands before coming in contact with the children (26% wash their hands every time, while 66% do it frequently.) However, less than 70% washed their hands correctly (with soap, rinse with water, and dry), so there is still room for improvement.

The survey also showed an alarming trend. About 50 percent of the caretakers would choose to send the children who are showing symptoms of severe infection for medical assistance at clinics (clinic: 45%, local hospital: 15%, regional hospital: 18%, medical center: 20%). Therefore, CDC/Taiwan would like to urge children who are showing symptoms such as sleepiness (consciousness disturbance, dull eyes, or fatigue), continuous vomiting, myoclonic jerk (shocks or muscle spasms), rapid breathing, and rapid heartbeat to be sent to a medical center for treatment. While treating the children, the physician should also pay special attention to signs of severe infection and refer them to specialists when needed in order to provide proper care.

The survey was conducted by Gallup, and took place between April 30 and May 2, 2010. The participants were 1,130 caretakers for children under 5 years old. The confidence interval was 95% with a sampling error of ±3%.

Source:Department of Health,TAIWAN,ROC