The number of confirmed cases of severe swine flu in Taiwan rose by 10 yesterday, including a six-month-old girl, the Central Epidemics Command Center said yesterday.
Among the 10 new cases, five involved children under the age of 12, Centers for Disease Control Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said. As of yesterday, confirmed fatalities from swine flu stood at seven, with 45 people still hospitalized.
Kuo said parents should wash their hands and change their clothes before holding a baby. Parents were also advised to refrain from taking their baby to crowded and confined areas.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Parents who develop flu-like symptoms should wear a mask and avoid contact with their baby, Kuo said. Babies suffering from shortness of breath, drowsiness, or purple lips or skin must seek immediate medical assistance, he said.
Kuo said the government had not changed its policy of excluding infants six months old or younger from inoculation, as it is the international norm.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education reached a consensus with colleges and universities on Friday to apply its “325” class suspension policy to university freshmen amid fear of outbreaks on campuses.
Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳) told reporters after a meeting with deans of student affairs of colleges and universities nationwide that classes for freshmen at universities and those for freshmen, sophomores and juniors at colleges had to be suspended for up to five days if two students within the same class are diagnosed with the swine flu within three days of each other.
The policy has been in effect at primary, junior high and high schools across the country since the new semester began on Monday last week.
Lu said medical or nursing schools could draw up their own class suspension standards after discussing the matter with academics and health experts.
Lu said colleges and universities should advise their students to stay at home if they are infected with the flu.
Schools should also establish a mechanism to report confirmed cases to the ministry, Lu said.
Ho Cho-fei (何卓飛), director of the ministry’s Department of Higher Education, said universities and colleges should provide thermometers to students living in dormitories so that they could monitor their health.
Schools are also required to provide housing for students infected with the flu but who are unable to return home, and to check on students regularly, Ho said.
Students who have developed flu symptoms should be babarred from taking part in school activities until 24 hours after the symptoms have disappeared, Ho said.
In related developments, the Kaohsiung City Education Bureau said 26 classes at 24 schools had been suspended because of the flu.
Starbucks Taiwan’s decision to charge for drink customization, which had been free, has sparked consumer backlash, highlighting the challenge of raising prices without making customers feel they are losing value, experts said. Since Oct. 12, customers who order drinks with less or no ice and ask to have the volume topped up with milk or other liquid have been charged an additional NT$15. Topping off drinks without ice was previously free, and disgruntled customers posted photos on social media showing that iced drinks ordered without ice were only half full if the extra NT$15 was not paid. The posts drew tens of thousands
EXPLANATION: Tsai said he attended events featuring various interviewees to observe them firsthand as part of his interview research Television host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) last night broke his silence over a controversy surrounding his appearance at a campaign event for Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋), saying he had never supported Taiwan independence. “I have always hoped for friendly cross-strait relations. I have never supported Taiwan independence,” Tsai wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo. Tsai, who has hosted television shows in China, attended the opening of Shen’s campaign headquarters on Oct. 4, drawing criticism from Chinese social media users and prompting some Chinese companies to distance themselves from him. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
Major department stores across Taiwan, including Taipei 101, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Far Eastern SOGO, Breeze and Honhui Plaza, are closed today due to Typhoon Champi, while major supermarkets remain open. Taipei 101 said its shopping mall, observatory and restaurants on higher floors are closed for the day, with future hours to be adjusted based on the storm's status. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has closed all 16 of its branches nationwide, as well as its Taipei Railway Station mall and SKM Park Outlets in Kaohsiung. Far Eastern SOGO said it has closed all of its branches nationwide, including Garden City in Taipei, citing the safety
DOUBLE-CHECK: Mandarin Airlines said that it would adjust its schedule according to weather conditions, while high-speed rail services are to remain undisrupted Airlines, ferry services, railways and national parks announced cancelations and closures yesterday, as Typhoon Champi bore down on Taiwan. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued land warnings for most of Taiwan proper, as Champi is forecast to come closest to the nation today. Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has canceled all express trains on its western and eastern trunk lines today, while the high-speed rail system would continue to operate normally. For non-reserved TRC services, trains on the Coast Line, Chengzhui Line, Yilan Line and North Link Line are fully suspended. Services between Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as other unsuspended routes, would operate
RSS