Enterovirus infections over the past two years reached a record high, due to what some see as an immunity debt caused by the COVID pandemic. An enterovirus 71 vaccine was developed last year, and Taiwan’s Medigen announced last Sunday that it would donate 1,200 doses of the vaccine to disadvantaged children in two counties. The donations are being welcomed by pediatricians who have warned that there could be an outbreak on the horizon. They say that the vaccine will likely be publicly funded in the future, but for now, donations like Medigen’s are an important lifeline for disadvantaged households.

Local vaccine maker Medigen announced it would donate 1,200 doses of its enterovirus 71 vaccine to Hualien and Taitung counties, which would be available to children under the age of 2 from disadvantaged households.

Health officials said this week marks the start of an annual peak period for the spread of the different forms of enterovirus. According to health ministry statistics, the number of enterovirus infections began to climb in 2015 and reached a high in 2016 when there were 6,562 cases. Annual infections reached a low of 537 in 2022 due to precautions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, since then cases have again spiked, reaching a record high of 9,256 cases as of April this year, a 10-year high.

Chiu Nan-chang
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Taiwan
There are a lot of children who may have already been infected this year, so we think the chance of an enterovirus outbreak is very high. If the weather changes slightly and gets hotter, we will likely see a sudden increase in case numbers.

So far this year, there have been six cases of enterovirus 71, and one case of D68 – a mild variant. Pediatricians are worried that immunity debt caused by the COVID pandemic may lead to a wave of outbreaks for enterovirus-related illness. However, since the enterovirus vaccine is new, those hoping to get it must pay out of pocket to the tune of NT$7,000 to NT$10,000 per shot.

Ni Yan-hsuan
Taiwan Pediatric Association
Other vaccines such as that for hepatitis A were also initially administered at the patient’s own expense, but the government gradually allowed them to be publicly funded. After all, prevention is a better than treatment. Why wait until people get seriously ill and then give them guidelines on what to do? Why not just vaccinate people from the start?

Donations like Medigen’s allow more children to benefit from vaccines that prevent illness. Now pediatricians are hoping the enterovirus vaccine can become even more accessible to all children.

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