The Central Epidemic Command Center for dengue fever yesterday reported another 33 deaths resulting from the disease, bringing the total death toll since May to 89.
A total of 42 suspected deaths had been examined recently, the center said, adding that among the 33 deaths confirmed to be caused by dengue fever, 28 were in Tainan, four in Kaohsiung and one in Pingtung.
The ages of those who died ranged from 41 to 90, and many of them also suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, and liver or cardiovascular disease — a high-risk group for complications from dengue, it said.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said 385 dengue cases were reported on Tuesday, with 277 in Tainan and 98 in Kaohsiung.
He said the daily reported case numbers have dropped in all the districts in Tainan, and that the reported cases in Kaohsiung remain about the same, compared with previous months.
CDC data showed a total of 21,357 dengue cases reported nationwide since May, with 18,096 in Tainan, 2,904 in Kaohsiung and 86 in Pingtung as of Tuesday.
The Taipei City Government’s Department of Health said it had confirmed three reported cases of dengue in the city, with two of the people having traveled to Tainan and one being a Malaysian who arrived in Taiwan on Monday.
The department said it had taken immediate measures to prevent an outbreak in the capital.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it