Flu epidemics kill 250,000 to 500,000 people each year and cause severe illness in 3 million to 5 million. However, new strains that jump from animals to humans can be even more devastating if the population has no immunity.
1918 “Spanish flu” — The most devastating flu pandemic in recent history was caused by a strain of H1N1 influenza that killed 20 million to 50 million people. The pandemic spread in three more or less simultaneous waves through Europe, Asia and North America. Unusually, the virus was particularly lethal in young adults. The origins of the virus are still unknown.
1957-1958 “Asian flu” — First identified in China, this H2N2 virus caused about 2 million deaths worldwide. The virus is thought to have emerged after a human form of H2N2 combined with a mutant strain in ducks. The strain has not circulated in humans since 1968, so much of the population has no immunity.
1968-1969 “Hong Kong flu” — The pandemic was first detected in Hong Kong. The H3N2 virus killed about 1 million people globally. H3N2 viruses still circulate today.
1997 “Bird flu” — For the first time, an influenza virus was found to spread directly from birds to people. The H5N1 bird flu infections were linked to poultry markets. The WHO has recorded 598 cases since 2003, with 352 deaths.
2009 “Swine flu” — The H1N1 “swine flu” virus originated in Mexico in 2009, a combination of a Eurasian swine flu virus with another strain that was a mix of bird, swine and human flu. It went on to kill more than 18,000 people.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
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