Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) said yesterday that the (A)H1N1 outbreak was worse than he expected.
“It is a lot worse than I expected,” Yeh said before departing for Hong Kong to attend the Taiwan-Hong Kong Forum at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center yesterday morning.
He said he would take advantage of the forum to meet his Hong Kong counterparts and share experiences in fighting swine flu.
“We also have these two viruses [H1N1 and H3N2] in Taiwan. I will try to learn more about the procedures [Hong Kong health authorities] have used,” Yeh said.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced three new severe cases of swine flu, one severe case of H3N2 and one new cluster infection.
CDC spokesman Lin Ting (林頂) said the three swine flu patients were all conscious. The cases involved a 32-year-old male chef in Taichung City, and five-year-old and three-year-old boys in Taipei County. The five-year-old boy was in intensive care while the other two were in regular rooms at hospitals.
All three were recovering well, Lin said.
Lin said that of the 12 severe cases discovered in Taiwan, nine were confirmed last month. Among them, one died, two were discharged from the hospital and the others remained hospitalized.
On the latest cluster infection, Lin said it involved a summer camp activity attended by 20 teenagers. The CDC confirmed that 10 teenagers tested positive for swine flu.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday continued to criticize Yeh, who on Monday announced his resignation so that he could participate in local elections. The DPP said he was skirting his responsibilities as the nation’s top health official while the country’s fight against the swine flu was at its peak.
Yeh is leaving the Department of Health ill-prepared as the country faces a major shortage of flu vaccine, DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said.
“The timing of Yeh’s announcement proves that his heart left the department a long time ago,” he said, calling Yeh irresponsible.
Cheng said the department did not seem to have a clear picture of the swine flu situation in Taiwan, adding that many hospitals and clinics were underreporting the number of cases.
The virus is spreading like wildfire.
Cheng also questioned the efficiency and quantity of Taiwan’s domestically produced flu vaccine.
Adimmune is the only biotechnology company commissioned by the government to produce the vaccine. The company said it has full confidence in the quality of its product.
The company said the homegrown vaccine would enter the market in Taiwan in November.
“There is widespread speculation in the healthcare industry about whether the vaccine has passed enough clinical tests to meet certain standards.
The department should implement the necessary safeguards as a contingency,” he said.
The WHO recommends that countries stockpile enough vaccine for one-tenth of the population. The spokesman said, however, that Taiwan’s vaccine supply was far below the advised quantity.
“Yeh’s selfish decision has endangered the health of people in Taiwan. When the going gets tough, rather than lead the fight, he has chosen to run away to Hualien. Such a person cannot win the trust of the people in Hualien,” Cheng said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) criticized the government’s decision to allow Yeh to resign.
“I am all for candidates with integrity [running in the election], Yeh is not the only person in the party who has integrity,” Lo said.
Meanwhile, KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday filed a defamation lawsuit against Hualien Tourism Association president Shih Sheng-lang (施勝郎) for accusing him of manipulating the Hualien County commissioner primary.
Shih continued to place advertisements in Chinese-language newspapers accusing Wu Den-yih of persuading former director of Hualien County’s Agricultural Development Office Tu Li-hua (杜麗華) to withdraw from the primary, and filed a lawsuit against Wu for trying to make an under-the-table deals with Tu.
Wu filed a lawsuit with the Taipei District Court against Shih. He said negotiating with primary hopefuls was part of his job, denying that he had crossed any lines.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND MO YAN-CHIH
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