Citing a US study, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that this year’s El Nino could lead to an epidemic of dengue fever cases in Southeast Asia.
The international research team, involving scientists from 18 institutions around the world and the ministries of health in each of the study countries, was led by University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health associate professor Willem van Panhuis.
The team analyzed 18 years of monthly dengue surveillance reports that had been compiled from 3.5 million cases of the disease in 273 provinces in eight countries — including Taiwan.
The team found that the exceptionally high occurrence of dengue fever in 1997 and 1998 coincided with high temperatures brought about by a strong El Nino effect allowing mosquitoes to reproduce faster and spread dengue virus more efficiently.
This phenomenon occurs about once every five years, with one of the most significant episodes expected in the coming months, the study said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that El Nino typically occurs every two to five years, and the Central Weather Bureau forecast the El Nino taking place from this summer through spring next year to be the most powerful in 18 years.
Affected by high temperatures brought by El Nino, the number of confirmed cases in some Southeast Asian countries is double or triple the number recorded last year, Chuang said.
“We hope to continue participating in research with these countries and establish a prediction model that will enable us to formulate prevention strategies,” he said.
As of Monday, a total of 20,972 indigenous dengue fever cases were reported nationwide, with 17,819 in Tainan and 2,806 in Kaohsiung. Seven deaths thought to be attributed to dengue fever were reported on Monday, and a total of 59 people are in intensive care units nationwide, CDC data showed.
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
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