The dengue fever epidemic in Kaohsiung continues to worsen: as of Wednesday, 45 cases of the viral disease have been confirmed in the municipality. Last week, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu, together with officials from Kaohsiung City Government Department of Health, carried out a “hands-on” review of the city’s epidemic prevention measures. Han’s inspection tour included examining guttering on the roofs of buildings but also took in tree hollows, which can turn into a vector source for mosquitoes carrying the disease if water accumulates inside.
Han, who has a short and stocky physique, scaled a tree by himself to inspect a tree hollow. Han told the assembled press pack that workers should use expanding insulation foam and prune trees to prevent the spread of dengue fever, sparking controversy online.
Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie posted on Facebook that it would have been better if Han had used the opportunity to demonstrate to the public the importance of removing containers of stagnant water and tidying up within residential areas. Huang said this would be a far more effective method of epidemic prevention and added a more pragmatic course of action would be for the mayor to assume overall command back at Kaohsiung City Hall from where he could supervise the allocation of manpower and resources. Huang expressed concern that filling up tree hollows with expanding insulation foam could pose an existential threat to the city’s woodpecker population.
Photo: CNA
照片：中央社
Responding to the news last Thursday, Kaohsiung Love Trees Society director Chuang Chieh-jen said a far more significant vector source of dengue fever is ditches and drains within the city where water has been allowed to accumulate over the long term. Chuang said using expanding insulation foam will simply damage the trees’ trunks and cause rot and decay. Chuang suggested using sand to fill hollows or alternatively drilling small holes to allow accumulated water to naturally drain away.
Chuang added that the primary cause of tree hollows is the pruning of branches of a 5cm diameter thickness or greater, which causes ulceration to the tree trunk. Chuang called on Han to review his administration’s policy on tree pruning and ban the pruning of branches between 5-10cm in diameter.
Responding to criticism, the director of the Public Works Bureau’s Maintenance Office, Wang Miao-chen, said that the expanding insulation foam used was non-absorbent and said tree hollows often form naturally as a way to protect the bark of the trunk and are not created by pruning. Wang said foam will not cause the trunk to rot and added that using foam is a feasible, effective and long-lasting solution. Kaohsiung’s frequent thunder and rain storms means that using expanding foam can save manpower and resources, said Wang.
Answering questions last week, Han said that climbing a tree shows he attaches great importance to tackling the epidemic, adding he trusts that officials and contractors will be able to see that he is taking the problem seriously and has the resolve to get a grip of the situation.
“If experts believe this will damage the trees, I will take their views on board,” but for the time being we will continue to employ this method.
Han added he climbed the tree for the good of the city’s residents, that he feels no shame and that any criticism or parodies of him are water off a duck’s back.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
高雄市登革熱疫情持續加溫，至二十日為止本土登革熱確診病例已四十五例，為有效防疫，高雄市長韓國瑜上週由衛生局陪同勘察防疫情形，不僅查看屋簷排水槽的防疫，也針對樹洞成病媒孳生源提出因應之道。
韓國瑜矯健的身手爬樹察看樹洞，危險的動作被熱議，他說以發泡劑及修剪枝葉的方式防疫也在網路社群成為討論話題。
時代力量高雄市議員黃捷在臉書留言建議韓國瑜還是以示範如何在居家環境消除積水容器或環境為主，較能擴大防疫效果，也建議韓好好坐鎮調度人力和資源更務實。她同時擔心樹洞都被堵住，啄木鳥在城市中恐難以存續。
高雄愛樹人團長莊傑任上週四指出，比起小小樹洞，水溝長年積水才是真正大宗的病媒孳生源，對於韓國瑜要以發泡劑填補樹洞的說法，他認為只會造成樹木傷口腐爛，建議用沙子填補或鑽小洞排水更天然有效。
莊傑任說，樹洞積水多起因於直徑五公分以上枝條修剪造成的潰爛，籲市府修正修剪枝條作業規範，禁止五到十公分以上枝條修剪。
市府養工處副處長王妙珍受訪指出，樹洞採用發泡劑非吸水式，再者，樹洞是天然形成且多有表皮保護而非新形成的傷口，不致於造成腐爛，為防範登革熱，樹洞用發泡劑填充是可行且效果較長久的方法；尤其高雄常有雷陣雨，樹洞以發泡劑填補，可節省人力與經費。
韓國瑜上週受訪，回應有關爬樹看防疫一事，他說會爬上樹去看樹洞代表他重視，相信官員或施工團隊人員會感受到市長重視並有做好防疫的決心。
至於護樹團體及防疫專家質疑用發泡劑補樹洞的作法，韓國瑜說「如果專家認為這樣發泡劑傷害樹木、我會從善如流」；但此時此刻仍用這個方法填補樹洞。
爬樹看防疫惹議，韓國瑜說「我的出發點是為市民，問心無愧不在意被批評、kuso（惡搞）。
(中央社）
Follow Up
課後練習
Questions
1. Was Han Kuo-yu’s tree climb a political stunt, or a serious attempt to promote awareness in the fight against dengue fever?
2. What else could be done by government officials to combat the spread of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases?
3. Are there any habits or practices in Taiwan that encourage mosquito breeding?
4. To encourage homeowners to clear away stagnant water and keep their homes tidy, since Feb. 2016 the Singaporean government has issued a S$200 (NT$4,500/US$146) fine to any home found to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Would a similar policy work in Taiwan?
(Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
A: It’s a pity that I can’t go to Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue’s concert. B: Why not? A: Hit Japanese singer Kenshi Yonezu is staging two shows at the Taipei Arena this weekend, and I already bought tickets long ago. B: Wow, isn’t he one of the most popular Japanese singers in recent years? A: And Yonezu’s megahit “Lemon” topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100’s year-end chart in 2018 and 2019 consecutively. A: 我不能去澳洲歌后凱莉米諾的演唱會真可惜。 B: 為什麼？ A: 日本人氣歌手米津玄師週末將在小巨蛋熱唱兩場，我早早就買票啦。 B: 哇他可是日本近年來最紅的歌手之一。 A: 米津的神曲《Lemon》甚至還在2018、2019年連續稱霸告示牌日本單曲榜年度冠軍！ (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
A: Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue is set to visit Taiwan for the third time on Saturday. B: I remember that her Taipei concerts in 2008 and 2011 caused a sensation, and I love her megahit “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” A: This will be her first time performing in the southern city of Kaohsiung. B: Many music critics praise Kylie’s show as “a must-see in your lifetime.” A: Let’s go to Kaohsiung this weekend. A: 澳洲歌后凱莉米諾週六即將三度訪台。 B: 她曾在2008、2011年兩度在台北開唱都造成大轟動，我超愛她的神曲《Can’t Get You Out of My Head》。 A: 這次可是她首度唱進南台灣的高雄呢。 B: 許多樂評家說她的演唱會是「此生必看」！ A: 那我們週末去高雄吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The Lemon Festival is a fun annual celebration in Menton, France. This festival began in 1934 and honors the region’s exceptional lemons. __1__ in February during the lemon season, the festival features beautiful floats and sculptures covered with dazzling lemons and oranges. These citrus creations are on display in the bright sunshine throughout the day, while at night, they are lit up and turn the town into a __2__ spectacle. The festival’s origins can be traced back to the late 19th century, when Menton was a major lemon producer. __3__, hotels would decorate their spaces with lemons and oranges
中國海關總署突然發布通知，指台灣輸入的釋迦及蓮霧檢出介殼蟲「大洋臀紋粉蚧」，決定暫停輸入。 In September 2021, China’s customs administration announced that it would suspend imports of sweetsop and jambu from Taiwan, citing discoveries of Planococcus minor, a type of mealybug. 蓮霧 (jambu/champoo, Syzygium samarangense) ，又名洋蒲桃，是桃金孃科熱帶水果，原產於印尼和馬來西亞，在星、馬稱作水蓊，中、港、澳稱作天桃。 蓮霧學名中的種小名 samarangense，係因模式標本採自印尼的Semarang (三寶瓏) 而得名。 蓮霧馬來語稱為 jambu air，第二個字 air讀作 /?a??(r)/，是水的意思，荷蘭人從印尼引進台灣，台語音譯為蓮霧 ian-b?。 以往蓮霧常見譯為 wax apple，聽起來好像素描靜物用的蠟製水果 (Wax Fruit)，曾有人問美國朋友要不要吃蓮霧? Care for a wax apple? 對方回一句：Why not a real one? 近來美國市場流行泰語的講法 champoo。蓮霧果實長得像鈴鐺，因此又稱為 bell-fruit。 Syzygium samarangense is a tropical fruit in the family Myrtaceae, native to the Greater Sunda Islands and the Malay Peninsula. Common names in English include champoo, jambu, bell fruit, rose apple, Java apple, and wax apple. In Taiwan, the dark red cultivars are nicknamed “Black
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