The number of invasive pneumococcal cases reported this year has dropped by nearly 30 percent to its lowest in three years, but people in high-risk groups should still receive vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control said on Tuesday.
As of Feb. 25, 101 people had contracted the disease, of which 13 died, the centers said, adding that during the same period last year 145 people contracted the infection, of which 16 died, while in 2015, 125 people became ill, among whom 27 died.
Invasive pneumococcal disease is most common in the winter and spring; the bacteria can be spread through direct contact, oral contact or via coughs or sneezes, and it can remain in their nose or throat without making the carrier ill, but it can be transmitted to the rest of the body through the respiratory tract when a person’s immune system weakens, it said.
The disease can result in infections of the blood such as bacteremia or sepsis, as well as pneumonia, bacterial meningitis and other diseases, the centers said, adding that people with cancer, diabetes, an immunodeficiency disease, or who are taking steroids or immunosuppressive drugs, are at increased risk of infection.
The centers said the best way to prevent the disease is by being vaccinated, so people aged 75 or older who have not received a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine since they were 65, and children under five who have not gotten a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine are advised to receive vaccinations from local health departments or cooperating hospitals.
In related news, the centers announced that late last month cholera outbreaks were reported in the central Philippines, in areas including the Visayan Islands, Bohol Island and Carnaza Island.
At least 100 people were confirmed to have been infected with cholera, of whom one died — a four-year-old girl — it said.
The majority who contract the disease suffer from serious diarrhea, it said, adding that a cluster of cholera cases was reported among tourists from the Philipines in South Korea on Feb. 21.
Cholera is caused by bacteria and the transmission is mainly fecal-oral via contaminated food or water, centers Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said, adding that common symptoms include watery diarrhea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration, kidney failure, unconsciousness from electrolyte imbalances and even death if treatment is delayed.
People visiting the Philippines should avoid eating seafood, iced desserts or putting ice cubes in their beverages, he said.
Reports over the past few years indicate that most Taiwanese tourists who became ill with diarrhea in the Philippines had ingested such products, he said, adding that seafood might not be cooked thoroughly, while water used to make ice can be contaminated.
People visiting areas where cholera is spreading should drink boiled water, beverages that have been properly packaged or pasteurized milk, while ice cubes and raw food should be avoided, the centers said.
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
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai