The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday warned the public against consuming raw or undercooked shellfish after it was found to have been responsible for most of the hepatitis A infection cases reported in October and last month.
“A total of 30 people were reported to have contracted hepatitis A between Oct. 1 and last Sunday — sharply higher than four cases reported in the same period last year. Of the patients, 25 developed symptoms that were severe enough to require hospitalization,” CDC Director Kuo Hsu-sung (郭旭崧) told a press conference.
Kuo said that hepatitis A, a viral foodborne illness, has a relatively long incubation period of between 15 and 50 days, which is why it had been almost impossible for disease control specialists to trace the infection to the exact type of contaminated food in the past.
“Fortunately, through a combined use of DNA sequencing and food-history questionnaires, we were able to determine that the majority of the patients were infected by the virus via consumption of raw shellfish, such oysters and clams,” Kuo said.
CDC disease prevention physician Chen Wan-ching (陳婉青) said the 30 infected patients include 13 males and 17 females, ranging in age from 13 to 73, with the hepatitis A virus strains of 19, or 63 percent, of them showing high DNA sequence similarities.
The CDC was able to ascertain the source of the patients’ infections after analyzing the questionnaire results, which found that all of them had eaten shellfish before they were diagnosed with hepatitis A, with 79, 63 and 79 percent having consumed raw seafood, oysters and clams respectively, Chen said.
Academia Sinica researcher Chen Pei-jer (陳培哲), a viral hepatitis expert, said that due to the poor sanitary conditions in Taiwan decades ago, nearly 95 percent of people aged 60 and above are immune to hepatitis A because infection generates lifelong immunity.
“However, with significant improvements in overall quality of life, most people under the age of 40 have never contracted the virus and are therefore not immune,” Chen Pei-jer said.
That the majority of foods are mass produced only further increases the country’s risk of an epidemic outbreak, he said.
Chen said that while infection with hepatitis A is often asymptomatic in young patients, it could cause potentially fatal symptoms in older victims and people who are affected by chronic diseases or are hepatitis B or C carriers.
“Those in the high-risk group are strongly advised to get vaccinated against hepatitis A and avoid undercooked shellfish,” Chen said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers