The government yesterday denied a newspaper report that a man who died after recently visiting China had tested positive for SARS.
An official from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday that a Taiwanese man who maintained business operations in China is believed to have died of viral pneumonia and added that a report in a Chinese-language newspaper claiming that the man died of SARS was highly speculative.
The man, who had been in China from May 8 to May 17, became ill and sought medical help on May 19. He died two days later at the Chang Keng Memorial Hospital in Chiayi, the center said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Chih-hao (
Chou confirmed said the businessman's son, who had accompanied him to China, and also checked into the hospital with fever and a cough, had been diagnosed with Type A flu, increasing the chances that was the ailment that killed his father.
Chou said that the center is investigating the source of the SARS allegation and stressed that the rumormonger will be apprehended and dealt with in accordance with the law.
In related news, Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) has instructed the appropriate government agencies to step up inspection and quarantine measures following reports of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in northern China, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) made the remarks after Council of Agriculture Minister Lee Ching-lung (
Lee said that in view of the fact that China often keeps a lid on outbreaks of major infectious diseases, the Executive Yuan should instruct all related agencies, including harbors and airports -- especially the harbors on Kinmen and Matsu -- that have direct transportation links with China, to be on alert and step up inspection and quarantine work.
Cho said that in view of Beijing's past record of attempting to hide outbreaks of major infectious diseases, the government will lodge a protest with China and with international organizations.
FMD is a highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle and hogs.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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