A pediatrician reported a very rare brain abscess case yesterday and said that common cold symptoms could be the beginning of something more serious for children with allergies, after operating on a teenager admitted for continuous fever and headache.
The 14-year-old male patient, who suffers from minor allergy problems, had been complaining of a cough and runny nose for more than a week before seeking medical attention, said Lin Chien-hung (林建宏), a pediatrician at Taipei City Hospital.
Lin discovered that the patient’s eyelids were swollen and arranged for a computed tomography scan, which confirmed that the teenager was suffering from acute sinusitis — a condition that in rare cases can lead to eye socket inflammation and in even rarer cases a brain abscess — the accumulation of pus inside the brain cavity.
“This is a rare case, because sinusitis is usually resolved within the first few days of infection using antibiotics,” he said.
In this case, however, brain drainage surgery had to be performed, without which, serious complications such as loss of sight or even death could have occurred, the doctor said.
Allergy-prone children often contract sinusitis and complications can sometimes be more dangerous because of the proximity of the sinuses to the brain, Lin said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
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Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
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