Taipei County health officials warned yesterday that the spread of enteroviruses might be more serious than first thought.
Since a new measure that requires schools to report enterovirus cases was put into effect on June 5, the number of the reported cases surged nearly fourfold to 379 last week, compared with no more than 100 cases a week before, the official said.
Enterovirus are small viruses that are second only to the common cold as the most common viral infections in humans.
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) can cause diarrhea, rashes and hand, foot and mouth disease. It is the most common cause of aseptic meningitis and can cause serious illness, especially in infants and those with compromised immune systems.
In Taipei County, 26 kindergartens, daycare centers and some first-grade and second-grade classes in elementary schools have announced temporary suspensions of classes in a bid to stem the spread.
Schools that fail to report enterovirus cases to the health authorities face fines of between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000 and being named in the media.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director Chou Chih-hau (周志浩) said Monday that the enterovirus outbreak will peak this week.
Chou asked all elementary schools, kindergartens and daycare centers to rigorously follow the regulations on class suspensions to prevent the spread of the viruses.
A Cabinet-level epidemic response command center has already ordered that daycare centers, kindergartens and schools must close for disinfection whenever two confirmed cases are reported in one class in a week.
The Taipei City Department of Health said yesterday that 113 classes at elementary schools, kindergartens and daycare centers had been suspended.
The department said a total of 192 serious enterovirus cases, including 187 EV71 infections, have been confirmed in the country so far this year, with seven fatalities.
In Taipei City, there have been four suspected enterovirus cases to date, with one confirmed serious case.
Department of Health Commissioner Chiu Wen-hsiang (邱文祥) said the number of new cases is expected to drop when summer vacation begins and the amount of contact between students declines.
He said the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection began disinfecting the city’s elementary schools, kindergartens and daycare centers last Saturday and that 696 have been cleaned, with work at the remaining 156 to be completed by the end of yesterday.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
REBUFFED: In response to Chinese criticism over recent arms sales, Washington urged Beijing to engage in meaningful dialogue instead of threats and intimidation Washington’s long-term commitment to Taiwan would not change, the US Department of State said yesterday, urging Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful bilateral dialogues. The remarks came in response to a backlash from Beijing about Washington’s latest approval of arms sales to Taiwan. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US has asked to purchase an arms package, including Tactical Mission Network Software; AH-1W helicopter spare and repair parts; M109A7 self-propelled howitzers; HIMARS long range precision strike systems; tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles; Javelin
RSS