A 36-year-old man surnamed Kao (高) almost died after being bitten by his pet mouse.
According to Kao, he and his elder brother like to keep pets and they have raised cats, dogs and even rabbits, even though he has many allergies.
The mouse, named “Siaobu” (小布), was bought by his elder brother a year ago, Kao said on Thursday.
Photo: Yang Ching-ching, Taipei Times
Kao said that on July 14 he was letting Siaobu crawl across his hands when the mouse suddenly dug its teeth into his finger and did not let go.
Ten minutes after the bite he started to vomit, had difficulty breathing and was experiencing something like shock, Kao said, adding that he had to crawl out of the room and get his family to help.
After being brought to the hospital, Kao was diagnosed with anaphylactic shock and was hospitalized after being given oxygen, fluids and a tetanus vaccination. It took two days before the swelling and redness subsided.
According to dermatologist Wu Ching-ying (吳青穎) at the Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-ho Memorial Hospital, anaphylactic shock can be triggered by medicine, vaccines, contact with latex, insect bites, food, blood transfusions and immunotherapy.
Though hospitals perform blood tests for allergens, many allergens are not listed in standard checkups, Wu said, citing Kao as an example, who had been diagnosed with over 10 allergies, but as the saliva of his pet mouse had not been listed in the standard checkup, it was only until after he had gone into shock that they knew Kao was allergic to the substance.
According to Kao, the mouse had nibbled at his finger in the past, but had never actually bitten him.
Despite his near-fatal experience, Kao said he did not blame the mouse, and he and his brother intervened when their family members wanted to “kill the vermin.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
MORE RETALIATION: China would adopt a long-term pressure strategy to prevent other countries or future prime ministers following in Sanae Takaichi’s steps, an academic said Taiwan should maintain communications with Japan, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is to lead a revision of security documents, Taiwanese academics said yesterday. Tensions have risen between Japan and China over remarks by Takaichi earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) yesterday said Takaichi’s stance regarding Taiwan is the same as past Japanese prime ministers, but her position is clearer than that of her predecessors Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba. Although Japan views a “Taiwan contingency” as a “survival-threatening situation,” which would allow its military to
RSS