On Nov. 26, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has announced the report made by Yonhap News Agency on Nov. 19 of a SARS suspicious patient in Taiwan has been proved to be dengue fever. 

Last Nov. 19, Yonhap News Agency has quoted China Post, a Taiwan English newspaper, of a patient suspicious of being sick with the deadly SARS epidemic was found in the Northern region of Taiwan. 

However, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Taiwan, no abnormal opinions on the patient’s chest X-ray and results from confirmation inspections show the patient was suffering dengue fever. 

In addition, on Nov. 26, another SARS suspected Japanese patient in Hong Kong was reported being hospitalized and is undergoing inspections to confirm if he really is infected with SARS. 

NIH is currently enhancing monitoring on the SARS epidemic in suspected regions from the first half of this year and a hotline is established to lookout for any tendency of the epidemic. 

※ Dengue fever is a class 4 legal communicable disease which causes a fever for 3 to 5 days and also headaches, muscular pain, arthralgia and other pains. 

Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare, November 26, 2003