title: Laboratory-Based Surveillance and Molecular Characterization of Dengue Viruses in Taiwan, 2014.
abstract: We present the results of a laboratory-based surveillance of dengue in Taiwan in 2014. A total of 240 imported dengue cases were identified. The patients had arrived from 16 countries, and Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China were the most frequent importing countries. Phylogenetic analyses showed that genotype I of dengue virus type 1 (DENV-1) and the cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2 were the predominant DENV strains circulating in southeast Asia. The 2014 dengue epidemic was the largest ever to occur in Taiwan since World War II, and there were 15,492 laboratory-confirmed indigenous dengue cases. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the explosive dengue epidemic in southern Taiwan was caused by a DENV-1 strain of genotype I imported from Indonesia. There were several possible causes of this outbreak, including delayed notification of the outbreak, limited staff and resources for control measures, abnormal weather conditions, and a serious gas pipeline explosion in the dengue hot spot areas in Kaohsiung City. However, the results of this surveillance indicated that both active and passive surveillance systems should be strengthened so appropriate public health measures can be taken promptly to prevent large-scale dengue outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics, and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shu-Fen
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics, and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Fen
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics, and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tung-Chieh
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics, and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chien-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics, and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chien-Chou
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Center for Research, Diagnostics, and Vaccine Development, Centers for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Department of Biotechnology and Laboratory Science in Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, Republic of China pyshu@cdc.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Pei-Yun
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C072281:E protein TH Sman, Dengue virus