Taipei: Two newborns died from enterovirus complications last week, and one new severe case was reported, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday. One of the deaths, a baby girl who developed symptoms at 6 days old, suffered complications of fulminant hepatitis, septic shock, and multiple organ failure, said CDC physician Lin Yung-ching at a press conference. The other, a baby boy, showed symptoms at 3 days and died from septic shock, meningitis, and multiple organ failure, Lin said. Both were infected with the enteric cytopathic human orphan virus 11 (Echo 11). The severe case, also involving Echo 11, is an infant boy who is currently in intensive care with his condition still unstable, Lin added.

According to Focus Taiwan, a total of seven severe infant enterovirus cases have been recorded in 2025, marking a six-year high. Of these seven cases, five have resulted in fatalities. Four deaths and one severe case are attributed to the Echo 11 strain, while the remaining death was caused by the Coxsackie B5 strain, according to CDC Spokesman Lo Yi-chun. Based on past patterns, the epidemic period for infant enterovirus is expected to last until the end of July. Lo urged expectant parents and newborn care institutions to remain vigilant.

Meanwhile, 6,009 people sought treatment for enterovirus last week, representing a 14 percent increase from the previous week’s 5,257 cases, indicating that the overall spread has not reached epidemic levels, as reported by CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei. The predominant strain is Echo 11, accounting for 34 percent of cases, followed by Coxsackie A6 at 22 percent and Coxsackie A2 at 12 percent, Kuo noted.