The Department of Health reported yesterday that the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Taiwan as an area with limited local transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The department announced that the WHO's communicable disease surveillance and response report issued Saturday on the Internet shows that the WHO believes Taiwan is not a high-risk area unlike the world health body's assessment of other SARS-affected areas such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hanoi and Canada.
On April 12, the WHO had characterized Taiwan as an "area with limited local transmission, no evidence of international spread from the area since March 15, 2003, and no transmission other than close person-to-person contact reported."
Taiwan, London and the US, though listed as areas with limited local transmission and no international spread of the disease, will remain on the "affected area" list which includes Toronto in Canada, Singapore, Hanoi in Vietnam, Beijing, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Shanxi in China.
According to the WHO's definition, an "affected area" is one in which local chains of transmission of SARS are occurring as reported by national public health authorities.
Deputy Director of the health department Lee Lung-teng (
Malaysia has stipulated that all visitors from SARS-affected areas, including Taiwan, submit a health report to the Malaysian authorities to prove that the individual is not infected with SARS.
Thailand, which had earlier insisted that all Taiwanese visitors wear masks during their stays there, lifted the order last week.
Lee said that, with the change in the WHO designation, Malaysia and some other countries, which were preparing to bar Taiwan's citizens from entering their countries, are expected to call off that decision.
As of yesterday, a total of 153 SARS-related cases were reported in Taiwan, with 23 probable cases and 33 suspected cases.
Meanwhile, DOH director general Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) said in a letter to the WHO that Taiwan's medical community has taken comprehensive steps to contain the spread of SARS. In his letter to Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Twu said that Taiwan has effectively controlled the spread of the disease.
Since the appearance of SARS in early March, Twu said, only three out of the 50 reported SARS cases classified as probable or suspected cases in Taiwan as of April 10 were found to be of local origin -- the rest were imported -- adding that to date there have been no fatalities in Taiwan as a result of SARS.
Twu criticized the intentional silence by the Chinese government on the SARS epidemic, which he said has resulted in an immense social and economic toll worldwide, with Taiwan bearing the major brunt as the country is near Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, suspected to be sources of SARS.
He said it was wrong for the WHO to list Taiwan as a part of China, adding that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state and by no means a province of China.
Meanwhile, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) called for international support yesterday for Taiwan's bid to join the WHO, claiming that it will be a valuable WHO member.
Addressing a local chapter meeting of the Rotary International, Chen said that to shut Taiwan out from the WHO is an international injustice for the 23 million people of the island and creates a loophole in preventing the spread of epidemics in the world.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft