The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said the number of dengue fever cases recorded nationwide since May had increased to 9,103, with 98.41 percent occurring in the southern municipalities of Tainan and Kaohsiung.
As of Saturday, 8,022 cases had been reported in Tainan, accounting for 88.12 percent of the total, an increase of 362 cases from the previous day, the CDC said.
Kaohsiung had reported 936 cases, accounting for 10.29 percent of the total, an increase of 51 cases from Friday last week.
Photo: CNA
Other cities and counties have had far fewer cases, with Pingtung County reporting 33; Taichung 22; Taoyuan 19; New Taipei City 16; Taipei 10; Chiayi County nine; Hsinchu County eight; Hsinchu City six; Changhua County five; and Chiayi City four.
Keelung and Miaoli and Nantou counties, as well as outlying Penghu and Kinmen, have each reported two cases, while Yilan, Hualien and Yunlin counties have each reported one.
No cases have been reported in Taitung County and the outlying Matsu Islands.
Photo: CNA
According to the CDC, about 44 people might have died from the mosquito-borne disease since the start of summer, but only 18 cases have been confirmed.
In Tainan, 2,813 cases were reported in the North District (北區); 1,217 cases in the West Central District (中西區); 1,136 cases in the South District (南區); 859 cases in the Yongkang District (永康); 660 cases in Annan District (安南); and 612 cases in the East District (東區), the Tainan City Government’s Health Department said, adding that almost all of those districts fall within a 12km radius of Tainan Railway Station.
Only two of Tainan’s 37 districts have reported no cases of dengue fever — Beimen (北門) and Longci (龍崎) — the city’s health department said.
The Kaohsiung City Government’s Health Department has sent personnel to spray insecticide in the Cijin (旗津), Dashe (大社) and Yancheng (鹽埕) districts.
It said that it expects an escalation in the number of dengue fever cases in the city, potentially lasting until November.
Of Kaohsiung’s 38 districts, 28 have so far reported dengue fever cases, according to local statistics.
Last year, the incidence of dengue fever cases in Kaohsiung reached nearly 15,000, with 20 recorded fatalities.
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
MAKING PROGRESS: Officials and industry leaders who participated in a defense forum last month agreed that Taiwan has the capabilities to work with the US, the report said Taiwan’s high-tech defense industry is to enhance collaboration with the US to produce weapons needed for self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the Legislative Yuan. Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) discussed building regional and global industry alliances with US partners at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia held from Sept. 22 to Tuesday last week, the ministry said in the declassified portion of the report. The visit contributed to maintaining bilateral ties, facilitated Taiwan’s efforts to acquire weapons and equipment, and strengthened the resilience of the two nation’s defense industries, it said. Taiwan-US ties
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference. Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government and political parties — as well as foundations established with their endowments, and those commissioned by them — cannot directly or indirectly invest in satellite broadcasting businesses. A similar regulation is in the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法). “The purpose of banning the government, political parties and the military from investing in the media is to prevent them from interfering