The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported a significant drop in the case numbers of several types of infectious diseases in the first half of the year, attributing it in part to more people wearing masks and practicing personal protective measures to prevent COVID-19 infection.
The number of cases of flu-like illness and enterovirus infection reported from May 31 to Saturday last week fell 71.1 percent and 88.2 percent respectively from the same week last year, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said.
Taiwan regularly enters the peak season of enterovirus infections in May or June, with weekly reported cases exceeding the epidemic threshold (11,000 hospital visits in a week) in week 22 last year, while there were only 1,360 hospital visits last week (week 23), she said.
Photo: CNA
The number of cases of respiratory infectious diseases also declined significantly, with zero cases of measles or rubella reported so far this year, compared with 100 cases of measles and 17 cases of rubella in the same period last year, Liu said.
The case numbers of invasive pneumococcal disease and pertussis (whooping cough) also dropped 39 percent and 81 percent respectively, she added.
The sharp declines are likely attributable to more people wearing masks and washing their hands frequently, practicing social distancing and other personal protective measures to avoid contracting COVID-19, she said.
Photo: CNA
As for insect-borne diseases, Liu said there were no reports of Japanese encephalitis or domestic dengue fever so far this year, while the case numbers of scrub typhus and imported dengue fever dropped 43 percent and 67 percent respectively from the same period last year.
The reduced numbers might be due to fewer people traveling abroad or taking part in outdoor events, as most local dengue fever outbreaks in Taiwan begin with imported cases, she said.
However, there have been five cases of hantavirus hemorrhagic fever this year, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
As the disease is transmitted to humans by inhaling the particles in the urine, saliva, or droppings of infected rats, mice and other rodents, people should wear a mask and rubber gloves when cleaning spaces and objects contaminated by rodents, and use bleach to disinfect the area, he said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the five cases mark a 20-year high, adding that hantavirus hemorrhagic fever occurs sporadically in Taiwan, and people can avoid contracting it by practicing rodent control and keeping their environment disinfected.
Separately, Chuang said there were no new cases of COVID-19 infections yesterday, and only five infected patients remain isolated in hospitals.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday said it is planning to ease regulations to make it easier for business travelers to visit Taiwan after border restrictions are relaxed, such as having all foreign visitors take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival.
The center is also considering allowing business travelers to enter Taiwan if they have obtained a negative PCR test result from their point of departure, giving them a shortened home quarantine period of five to 10 days, requiring them to take another self-paid PCR test before being released from quarantine and performing self-help management for 21 days from the date of arrival, said Chuang, who is also a CECC spokesman.
The CECC is considering first easing restrictions for business travelers from countries with a lower risk of COVID-19, such as New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam and Brunei, but more negotiations are needed, he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique