The Central Epidemic Command Center said that as of yesterday morning, all of the nation’s suspected cases of H7N9 infection reported since April 3 had been cleared of infection.
In the 24-hour period ending 8am yesterday, five suspected cases of infection were reported, of which four were reported by hospitals and one was detected at an airport, Centers for Disease Control official Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. All have since tested negative for the H7N9 bird flu virus, with one testing positive for H1N1 and one for H3N2, Chuang added.
According to the command center’s data, since April 3, the day the nation’s health authorities officially listed H7N9 avian influenza as a category 5 notifiable communicable disease, 59 suspected cases have been reported and all of them have been cleared.
Of the 59, 13 tested positive for H1N1 infection, five for H3N2 and one for influenza B.
After a seven-year-old girl became the first confirmed case in Beijing, two provinces away from the four contiguous H7N9-affected regions (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui), and the second child to be infected with the virus, some in Taiwan have wondered whether this was a case of the disease spreading via human-to-human transmission.
“Rather than saying that the disease might be ‘spreading,’ I would say the surveillance and monitoring of the disease has become more effective in China. Also, the only two children infected with the virus both had direct contact with poultry, so I would not say the child cases are evidence of person-to-person transmission,” said Chang Feng-yee (張峰義), head of the command center.
Chang said bird migration in the area and the possible mutation of the virus were more worthy of attention.
“The migratory birds are currently heading north from the south, but they will be starting to journey south to their wintering grounds around September. Since it is suspected that migratory birds carry the virus, we have to be extra vigilant later this year,” Chang said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS