The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said dengue fever was spreading to northern parts of the country, with nine new cases confirmed in Taipei County last week, of which three were indigenous.
Two of the indigenous cases were in Wugu Township (五股) and the other in Sanchong City (三重), CDC Deputy Director Lin Ting (林頂) said.
Health officials were closely monitoring the situation in Wugu, where eight of the total 11 indigenous cases confirmed in Taipei County have occurred and where more cases are expected amid signs of a cluster infection.
Of the more than 800 indigenous cases reported since August, 11 were from Taipei County, two in Taipei City, one in Taoyuan County and the remainder concentrated in Kaohsiung, Tainan and other parts of the south, Lin said.
The CDC announced the establishment of a central epidemic command center last week to deal with the outbreak, which hit southern parts of the country in the summer.
Although only a small number of isolated cases have been reported in the north in recent weeks, officials said they remained on the alert and would pay close attention to any signs the disease is moving northward.
To this end, the Department of Health has set up a dengue screening station to provide free blood tests.
The CDC said residents in the north, especially in Wugu, should not be complacent, even if the incidence remains low.
Health officials also advised residents to keep living areas clean and dry, especially given the heavy rain experienced in recent days, because mosquitoes carrying the virus tend to proliferate in places and containers where water accumulates.
While the CDC expects the number of infections to drop slightly as the weather becomes cooler, health officials were still taking precautions to minimize the chances of the disease re-emerging after winter.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS