The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed two swine flu cluster infections affecting doctors and nurses at two major hospitals in northern and southern Taiwan.
Authorities confirmed that National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital in Taipei was one of the two affected hospitals, but did not name the second.
CDC Spokesman Lin Ting (林頂) said 11 individuals at NTU hospital had symptoms of swine flu and that four nurses and one patient had been confirmed as contracting the virus.
The patient was a severe case and was being treated at the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
The patient was the nation’s 26th confirmed case of severe swine flu and the first recorded at a hospital, official statistics showed.
“The patient is a 45-year-old female with several other chronic conditions. She is slowly recovering, although she is remaining in ICU,” Lin said.
“The four nurses are on sick leave and staying at home to recover,” Lin said.
All four nurses and the patient fell ill between Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, Huang said, adding that initial epidemiological assessments ruled out the possibility of the patient and nurses being infected by the same source.
“It is likely that the patient and nurses contracted the virus from different sources, probably other patients, caregivers or family members and friends who visited the patient,” Huang said.
The cluster infection was now under control and there were not signs that it had spread elsewhere, Huang said.
In addition to disinfecting the patient’s room, Huang said, the hospital activated its infection control mechanism and tightened monitoring of patients with fevers and sore throats. Outpatients and emergency room patients with fevers were separated from other patients to contain the virus, he said.
Regarding the hospital in the south, Huang said that 18 people — one doctor and 17 nurses — showed symptoms. Five were confirmed swine flu cases.
“We urge people not to visit hospitals unless it is really necessary,” Lin said. “Given the nature of the facilities, there is a higher risk of infection at hospitals.”
The spokesman said that five other cluster infections, including the above cases, were reported yesterday.
In addition to the two hospital cluster infections, Lin said, two occurred at junior high schools and one at a cram school in Jhonghe City (中和), Taipei County.
Lin said that the CDC’s latest statistics showed there have been 48 swine flu cluster infections and 28 severe cases across Taiwan.
“If you have to go to hospital, remember to wear a surgical mask and to wash your hands,” Lin said.
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
EVA Airways president Sun Chia-ming (孫嘉明) and other senior executives yesterday bowed in apology over the death of a flight attendant, saying the company has begun improving its health-reporting, review and work coordination mechanisms. “We promise to handle this matter with the utmost responsibility to ensure safer and healthier working conditions for all EVA Air employees,” Sun said. The flight attendant, a woman surnamed Sun (孫), died on Friday last week of undisclosed causes shortly after returning from a work assignment in Milan, Italy, the airline said. Chinese-language media reported that the woman fell ill working on a Taipei-to-Milan flight on Sept. 22
RSS