Taiwan yesterday reported its first case of monkeypox, a man who recently returned from Germany.
On Monday, four days after his return, the man developed a fever, a sore throat, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes and a rash, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a statement.
He sought medical attention two days later, and his case was reported to the CDC as a suspected monkeypox infection, the CDC said, adding that his test results returned earlier yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
The man, who had been studying in Germany, is quarantining in hospital, the agency said.
The health conditions of five listed contacts — three medical workers and two of his relatives — are being monitored, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsaing (莊人祥) said.
The CDC is to notify the WHO of the nation’s first recorded case of monkeypox, he said.
The CDC on Thursday designated monkeypox a category 2 communicable disease, citing its global spread.
The designation means that physicians are required to report confirmed or suspected cases to the CDC within 24 hours. Other category 2 communicable diseases are dengue fever, Zika fever, typhoid fever, measles and Chikungunya fever.
The CDC on Thursday said it had ruled out another suspected monkeypox case of a man in his 60s that was reported last week.
The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, which can spread through close contact with an infected animal or person, and transmission occurs through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, body fluids or materials contaminated with the virus.
Since the UK first reported monkeypox cases in the middle of last month, at least 3,598 cases have been confirmed in 50 states around the world, mostly in Europe and the Americas, the CDC said.
Taiwan is the third Asian country that has reported the disease, following cases in Singapore and South Korea, the CDC said.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS