The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday advised the public to apply insect repellent and wear trousers and long-sleeved shirts when walking in rural or mountainous areas during the upcoming Tomb Sweeping Festival, as the prevalence of scrub typhus — a mite-borne infectious disease — often sees an uptick in April.
Scrub typhus is caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi and is transmitted by the bite of a chigger, the centers said.
The incubation period of scrub typhus is about nine to 12 days, with symptoms including a persistent high fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes and a rash that begins about one week after the fever. An eschar — a dry, dark scab or falling away of dead skin — often develops at the site of the chigger bite, the centers said.
An increase in scrub typhus cases begins to reported in April and May which peaks in June and July, the the centers said, adding that according to data from 2013 to last year, Penghu County, Taitung County and Kinmen County had the most reported cases.
In addition to hundreds of scrub typhus cases reported every year, the centers said that more than 1,000 snake bites are reported every year, and that snakes begin to become more active in March.
Poisonous snakes most commonly seen in Taiwan include the Chinese green tree viper, the pointed-scaled pit viper and the Chinese sharp-nosed viper — commonly known as the “hundred-pacer” — the banded krait and the common cobra and the Russell’s viper, it said.
In order to prevent both scrub typhus and snakes, the centers advises people to wear light colors and apply government-approved insect repellent, and refrain from staying in overgrown areas for too long.
People bitten by poisonous snakes should try to remember the snake’s shape and color, remain calm and get to a hospital as soon as possible, the centers said.
A makeshift bandage can be made with a sock or other elasticated material, and a splint can be formed from a stick or other piece of available wood, while wounded limbs should be raised above the heart, the centers added.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS