HEALTH
Turkeys to be culled
A farm in Yunlin County’s Dongshih Township (東勢) is to have 1,673 turkeys culled following an outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said yesterday. The affected farm reported irregular deaths of turkeys on Wednesday and authorities on Friday said the animals had contracted H5N2. It was the second confirmed bird flu infection this week, after 1,168 broiler ducks in Pingtung County’s Hsinyuan Township (新園) on Tuesday were found to have been infected with a new strain of the H5 subtype virus and were culled on Wednesday, bureau director Chang Su-san (張淑賢) said. To avert a major outbreak, the bureau called on farmers and epidemic prevention officers to thoroughly disinfect the farm’s facilities and the immediate vicinity, as well as vehicles and equipment used for disease control purposes.
HEALTH
CDC updates dengue data
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said the daily number of dengue fever cases confirmed in Tainan has decreased for nine consecutive days, though the number of reported cases in Kaohsiung rose over the past week. As of yesterday, statistics released by the Central Command Center for dengue fever showed a total of 19,889 cases reported nationwide since May, with 17,004 in Tainan and 2,563 in Kaohsiung. On Friday, 477 new cases were reported nationwide, with 365 in Tainan and 112 in Kaohsiung, while five deaths in the past week are suspected to be due to dengue fever. There were 53 dengue-infected patients in intensive care units, but 82.8 percent of all confirmed cases have seen patients recover. The command center advised the public to remove standing water where mosquitoes might lay eggs.
WEATHER
Mujigae brings large waves
Although Tropical Storm Mujigae is not expected to make landfall in Taiwan, it has caused high waves along coasts in southern regions and on outlying islands, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. As of 3pm, waves of more than 2m had been detected in Penghu, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, the bureau said. At 2pm, Mujigae was centered more than 650km southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving in a west-northwesterly direction toward the southern Chinese island of Hainan, Hong Kong and Macau, according to bureau data. China’s National Meteorological Center said Mujigae was likely to make landfall between Hainan’s Wenchang City and Dianbai District in Guangdong Province early today.
RETAIL
Mobile buyers rise: report
Online shopping using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is becoming increasingly popular, the Chinese-language United Evening News reported yesterday. Citing sales data from online shopping site operators Yahoo Taiwan and Kuo Brothers, local media said the number of people who shop online using mobile devices in February overtook those using personal computers, with mobile use increasing by more than 90 percent over the past six months. Yahoo Taiwan e-commerce group vice president Jacky Wang (王志仁) said online shoppers particularly like to shop using mobile devices on weekends and holidays, because using computers is not as convenient. The volume of transactions last month completed via mobile devices on the five shopping sites owned by Kuo Brothers was 60 percent, the report said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese