The first day of the 2008 Taipei International Travel Fair attracted thousands of discount hunters, but travelers should remain aware of high-risk areas so they can return home in good health, a top Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official said.
The centers are among the exhibitors at the expo.
“Travel is a very important factor influencing the spread of diseases,” CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ting (林頂) said.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES
He urged anyone who develops a fever or diarrhea during or after travel to report their travel histories to their doctor so infectious diseases can be better recorded and controled.
Border screening for sick travelers is key to disease control, Lin said, but so is self-reporting.
CDC statistics as of Oct. 20 show there have been 388 cases of infectious diseases arriving in Taiwan from foreign countries this year.
Most of the cases involved dengue fever, Shigellosis and Acute Hepatitis A, and were linked to travel to Vietnam, Indonesia and China.
The center said travelers planning to visit Southeast Asian should avoid high-risk areas, such as poultry farms, animal disease control areas and hospitals. They should also wear facemasks if they have a fever, cough or runny nose and avoid going out while sick.
“Avoid eating foods that have not been fully cooked,” Lin said.
Many people have the habit of adding raw eggs to foods or sauces, but this is not recommended as it increases one’s exposure to avian influenza viruses, Lin said.
“Avoid eating fruit that has already been cut, and drink packaged or bottled [water and other beverages],” he said.
The center’s booth at the travel expo features demonstrations and games to teach the public about disease prevention, the 1922 disease control hotline, avoiding diseases when traveling as well as border screening and self-reporting.
The center also urged those who qualify for free flu inoculations to get vaccinated soon, as there is only one more month until the free program ends. As of Thursday, 1.8 million people had received flu shots, equivalent to about 60 percent of the number of doses purchased this year.
Free flu shots are available for children between six months and three years old, seniors aged 65 and older, medical and epidemic control personnel, bird and poultry industry handlers and detainees in public and private shelters.
Elementary school students in grades one through four are also eligible for the free innoculation.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS