A 34-year-old Thai man, who arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport earlier this month, was yesterday diagnosed with the Zika virus, the second case in Taiwan, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
The man said he had a cold sweat when he boarded an airplane in Thailand on Thursday and was found to have a fever when screened upon arrival at Taoyuan airport, CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said.
“After analysis of a blood sample and through genome sequencing of the virus, it was confirmed that the man tested positive for Zika,” Chou said. “This is the nation’s second imported case, with the two being the nation’s only known cases.”
Photo: EPA
The first case, also a traveler from Thailand, was confirmed by the CDC on Jan. 19 after a man was screened and found to have a fever at Taoyuan airport when he arrived on Jan. 10.
Chou said both men were from Udon Thani in northern Thailand.
The man who tested positive yesterday returned to the dormitory of his workplace in central Taiwan after he was treated at a hospital and showed no more symptoms.
“We have reported the case to the WHO and also informed the Thailand Liaison Office in Taiwan, based on international health regulations,” Chou said.
He said officials from the CDC and the local health bureau have visited the factory where the man works to investigate the population of vector mosquitos in the surrounding environment, as well as to give mosquito nets and insect repellent, and to inform workers about mosquito bite prevention.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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