A retrospective study conducted by the Council of Agriculture (COA) shows that the rabies virus has been present in Taiwan for at least three years, as five of the 13 Formosan ferret-badger samples preserved since July 2010 have recently been tested and found to be positive for rabies, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
A total of 17 ferret-badgers preserved by the council’s Endemic Species Research Institute had been sent for testing, four of which lacked enough brain tissue to be tested.
However, five of the remaining 13 samples were tested using the fluorescent antibody test and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction for a retrospective test, and were found to contain rabies antibodies and nucleic acids, the agency said.
The center said that of the 13 samples, the oldest dated back to July 17, 2010, and was collected in Nantou County’s Guosing Township (國姓).
The results have indirectly confirmed that this strain of rabies is not new to Taiwan, the center said, adding that it will report its latest findings to the World Organization for Animal Health.
Four of the five positive samples were from Nantou County and one was from Chiayi County, which are among the nine rabies-affected regions where rabies-infected ferret-badgers have been found earlier this year, director of the council’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Chang Su-san (張淑賢) said.
“The preserved samples collected from other counties such as Taoyuan County have tested negative for rabies. These results match our expectations,” Chang added.
Although the latest tests found that rabies has been in the country for at least three years, the surveillance of the disease in other animals such as dogs, cats and bats in the past three years has not detected cross-species transmission of the virus, the center said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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