Taiwan reiterated its regret that the World Health Organization (WHO) misunderstood the country's handling of the SARS epidemic, urging it to remove Taiwan from its travel warning advisory list sooner rather than later.
"We have done better a job than some other countries. However, we have been asked to meet a much stricter standard," Department of Health (DOH) Director-General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said at a news conference yesterday.
"We are not weak. Taiwan has been `quarantined' from the WHO for 20 years and [our health-care system] has grown to become a model," he said.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen said Taiwan has furnished the WHO with more information about the country's SARS situation in the hope that the world health watchdog lift its warning against non-essential travel to the country.
The WHO rejected Taiwan's previous application for removal from its travel advisory list. It asked the country to check whether the six suspected SARS cases reported in the US, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Germany and Brazil between March and early June were acquired in Taiwan.
"We have toiled to collect sufficient data to prove that Taiwan has not exported any SARS cases," Chen said, adding that all six probable cases the WHO was investigating as coming from Taiwan tested negative for SARS.
Chen said Taiwan will not be daunted by the setback and will even redouble efforts to meet the WHO's relatively stringent requirements for removal from its travel advisory list, even though the nation has been kept from participation in the world health body.
Moreover, Chen said, Taiwan must remain on the alert against the possibility of SARS-positive individuals entering the country and starting a new line of transmission.
Saying that an 82-year-old veteran showed SARS-like symptoms after returning from a visit to the central Chinese province of Hunan earlier this week, Chen stressed that it is important to keep certain quarantine measures for incoming passengers.
He used the example to imply that the WHO may wish to consider looking into whether the disease has spread to other regions of China.
Meanwhile, Chen also said that Taiwan's four representatives, who have been invited by the WHO to attend an international seminar on SARS, will participate in the activity as representatives of a state.
"Su Yi-jen (蘇益仁), director-general of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) under the DOH was addressed with his formal, official title in the WHO invitation to the seminar to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June 17 to 18," Chen said.
Chen said the WHO has also invited three Taiwan scholars -- Chen Pei-che (陳培哲), director of the Hepatitis Research Center of National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Chang Shang-chun (張上淳), director of the Infectious Disease Department at NTUH, and Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉), an associate research fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Academia Sinica -- to attend the seminar.
According to DOH officials, the WHO will make special arrangements to let Su and other Taiwan participants discuss SARS issues with delegates from other countries.
The Taiwan delegates will leave for Kuala Lumpur on Sunday and are scheduled to return next Thursday.
As to the latest development of the government's efforts to control the spread of SARS, another medical professional yesterday succumbed to the illness.
Tsai Chiao-miao (
Later she was transferred to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou (
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on