The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday urged the public not to take potassium iodide (KI) pills without doctors’ instructions, as the nation is currently not under threat of over-exposure to radiation from Japan and the pills could cause side effects.
Since a series of explosions and fears of meltdowns rocked Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, the country has been under heightened alert to detect whether radiation levels are normal.
Worries that radioactive dust from Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture could be blown to Taiwan has prompted some people to prepare iodine pills or tablets, which contain potassium iodide and can protect the thyroid gland from harmful effects after exposure to radiation.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
However, the department’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday urged the public not to panic, because the country is not currently under threat from radiation levels that would pose problems to health.
Health officials said that consumption of iodine pills without a doctor’s prescription or when not under a state of radiation emergency is not only unnecessary, but could also put one at risk of possible side effects from the tablet. These side effects include skin rashes, swollen salivary glands, a metallic taste in the mouth, a sense of burning in the mouth and throat, soreness in the teeth and gums, stomach discomfort and diarrhea.
The DOH said that even if the country were under threat of radiation exposure, the DOH said the public should not worry about supply shortages as there was a stockpile of imported KI pills sufficient for 130,000 people and the DOH can issue temporary production licenses to local pharmaceutical companies to meet domestic demand during emergencies.
It is illegal to purchase KI pills over the Internet and they can only be distributed through government authorities, an FDA division director said, adding that interministerial meetings and evaluations must take place before the decision is made to provide the public with KI.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
CLEAR BEFORE LEAVING: Two baby boys and a woman in her 30s tested negative before departing for Japan, but tests taken after their arrival came back postive Three Taiwanese tested positive for COVID-19 when they arrived in Japan earlier this month, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it reported a new imported case. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, said that one of the three cases in Japan is a Taiwanese baby under the age of one, whose parents work in Japan. The infant came to Taiwan with his parents in January, and the parents paid for the family’s COVID-19 tests on Oct. 10 ahead of their planned return to Japan on Monday last week, he said. The boy and his
‘BACKED BY ENEMY’: CTi News is one of the few channels promoting unification, the New Party chairman said, while pro-Taiwan groups called it a propaganda outlet Pan-blue camp supporters yesterday lodged a protest at the National Communications Commission (NCC) against what they say is a possible move by the government to shut down CTi News, adding that politics should not interfere with freedom of the press. Protesters included representatives from the New Party, the Blue Sky Action Alliance, the 333 Political Party Alliance and other pan-blue groups. “We stand here today because CTi News is one of the few media outlets in Taiwan that is still willing to give groups supporting unification with China a voice. If the news channel is gone, there would only be
NEW YEAR’S EVE: Examples from South Korea and Japan show that 15 local COVID-19 infections could emerge in a short period if measures are not taken The Taipei City Government would cancel its New Year’s Eve Party and all large events if 15 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 are reported in the city within a week, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday. Addressing the Taipei Cross Border E-Commerce Annual Convention, Ko said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many uncertainties to society, and that e-commerce is on a path of no return and would continue to grow. Many countries have not effectively controlled their COVID-19 outbreaks, and although Taiwan implements strict border controls and there have been few inbound passengers, the pandemic is unlikely to end soon,
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused CTi News of trying to mislead the public by publishing a half-page advert claiming that the party interfered in the National Communications Commission’s (NCC) review of its application for a license renewal. CTi News is distorting the commission’s review process by painting it as a political conflict and turning it into a smear campaign against the DPP, party spokeswoman Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) said. “The NCC is an independent body, which carries out reviews and makes decisions based on its members’ professional expertise, as well as regulations and legal requirements governing media operations,” Yen said. “We condemn
RSS