HEALTH
Encephalitis case reported
The nation on Tuesday reported the year’s 13th Japanese encephalitis case, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Thursday, reminding the public to be on guard against the mosquito-borne disease. A 42-year-old woman in Hsinchu County developed a fever and a headache from July 16 and remains hospitalized, the CDC said. The case was the first to be reported from Hsinchu, following others in Changhua, Chiayi, Greater Tainan, Greater Kaohsiung, Greater Taichung and Pingtung, it said. With Japanese encephalitis being prevalent between May and October, the authorities urged the public to get vaccinated and to try to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Most Japanese encephalitis infections are mild or have no apparent symptoms, but about one in 250 infections results in severe disease characterized by the rapid onset of high fever, headache and even death, the WHO said.
DISASTER
Student at risk after fire
A fire broke out yesterday in a 15-story residential building in Tamsui (淡水), New Taipei City, injuring two and leaving one student from Hong Kong with no vital signs. The 19-year-old student at Tamkang University, identified only by his surname, Lun, had no heartbeat and was not breathing when he was taken to the Tamsui branch of Mackay Memorial Hospital, the New Taipei Fire Department said. It was not immediately clear if he had survived. The fire broke out at 10:48am on the 14th floor of the building and was extinguished one hour later, the department said. Five people, all Tamkang students, were rescued from the building. Aside from Lun, two others suffered smoke inhalation, including one with a serious injury. An investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS