Ten swine flu or influenza A(H1N1) cluster infections have been confirmed, Department of Health (DOH) officials said yesterday.
“Except for one that occurred in late June, the other nine cluster infections were confirmed in the past two or three days,” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) spokesman Lin Ting (林頂) told a press conference.
The cluster infections involved students who were attending summer study programs, migrant workers at local factories and military servicemen posted on outlying islands, Lin said.
“It is good to know that all these victims have minor symptoms. They only need a good rest and to take medicine on time to recover,” he said.
Lin warned, however, that while the culprit in all these cluster infections was the influenza A(H1N1) virus, the seasonal flu virus influenza A(H3N2) has also been identified in specimens collected from these cases for lab testing.
The CDC is closely monitoring possible mutations of the virus, he said.
As of yesterday, the center had a total of six severe cases of swine flu, one of whom died on Thursday afternoon while three remained in critical condition, Lin said.
For the first fatality, the CDC said the patient had a long history of liver and kidney disease and that as a result of his underlying health problems, the patient fell into critical condition after contracting the swine flu virus early last month.
DOH Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川), who was inspecting the CDC’s branch in Taichung to review its epidemic-fighting operations, said that locally produced swine flu vaccines would be ready for human inoculation in November at the earliest.
“Research on the vaccine is proceeding smoothly and the manufacturer — Adimmune Corp — has promised to deliver the product at the end of September. As the vaccine has to undergo clinical trials, it will therefore not be ready for use until November at the earliest,” Yeh said.
The DOH has ordered 5 million doses of the vaccine from Adimmune Corp, in which the government has a stake.
Yeh said the DOH has formed a special task force to monitor progress in A(H1N1) vaccine research and development. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) has also directed the DOH to seek foreign suppliers.
“Now that a locally owned company is on the development track, we will consider importing the vaccine only if foreign suppliers can deliver the product earlier than Adimmune Corp,” Yeh said.
Lin said people aged 20 to 30 are considered the priority group for the vaccine because “this group of people travels around the most, but they are also the most vulnerable group of people who may be affected by the virus.”
Yeh said the DOH would step up its efforts to contain the virus. As part of the campaign, starting this weekend, 300 local hospitals would be allowed to conduct tests and offer anti-viral drugs to people displaying swine flu symptoms.
From Aug. 15, other doctors contracted by the Bureau of National Health Insurance will begin offering tests and medication, the minister said.
Meanwhile, a group of CDC staff members canceled their long-planned nationwide tour this weekend amid increasing reports of swine flu infections.
Several local schools were shut down on Thursday after the first swine flu fatality in the country was confirmed.
The Ministry of Education also announced yesterday that any school with a confirmed case should be closed for seven days to contain the spread of the disease.
If the situation is severe, the ministry said, the school’s closure could be extended to 10 days.
At the same time, should two schools in the same city or county each have a confirmed swine flu case or cluster infections, local governments can order all schools in the district or nearby region to be shut down for a week or so, ministry officials said.
Wang Chun-chuang (王俊權), director of the ministry’s Physical Education Department, urged local students not to go to school if they develop flu symptoms.
GUIDELINES
Wang said the ministry would hold a meeting on Tuesday to work out guidelines to prevent the spread of swine flu after schools reopen next month.
The general guiding principle, he said, would be that any nationwide school closure plan over swine flu concerns would be announced by the Central Epidemics Command Center.
At a separate setting yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lashed out at Yeh for not doing enough to combat the A(H1N1) virus and said he should either focus on the fight or resign.
QUELLING CONCERN
“The H1N1 [sic] situation in Taiwan is on the brink of being out of control. But we don’t see our health authority — be it the DOH or the CDC — stepping up efforts to quell public concerns,” acting DPP spokesman Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said.
Chao said he suspected the government’s lack of concern could be because Yeh planned to run for Hualien County commissioner or Taipei mayor in the December elections.
RESIGN
“If his focus is on the race, then he should resign immediately. The public deserve a health minister who will pour all of his time and energy into safeguarding the nation’s health as his top priority,” Chao said.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS