A: There were so many aftershocks after the recent earthquake. It was scary.
B: Do you have an earthquake emergency kit at home?
A: No, I don’t. What should I prepare for the emergency kit?
Photo copied by Chueh Ching-lun, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報闕敬倫翻攝
B: Taiwan’s National Fire Agency recommends that people include seven essential items.
A: Let me guess: drinking water and food are two of the essential items.
B: Correct! The other five are a small blanket, emergency medicine, coarse cotton safety gloves, a flashlight and a whistle.
A: 最近地震後餘震不斷，好可怕。
B: 你家有地震避難包嗎？
A: 沒有耶，避難包裡該準備什麼？
B: 根據台灣消防署建議，應該有七樣必備物品！
A: 我猜要有飲水和食物。
B: 猜對了，還要有小毛毯、急救藥品、粗棉手套、手電筒及哨子。
（Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A request by the World Health Organization (WHO) for more information on a surge in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children in China has attracted global attention. Health authorities have not detected any unusual or novel pathogens, the WHO later said, and doctors and public health researchers say there is no reason for international alarm. Authorities in Taiwan, however, last week advised the elderly, very young and those with poor immunity to avoid travel to China. The following is what we know about the surge in illness in the world’s second most populous country so far, and why experts think there
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