A doctor advised people to cover their arms and legs outdoors after a woman developed skin rashes caused by an allergic reaction to caterpillar bristles.
A Taipei woman who keeps a garden on the patio of her building was diagnosed with caterpillar dermatitis after seeking medical help due to the rashes on her arms accompanied by severe itching.
The rashes were likely caused by the bristles of the caterpillars in her garden, said Wang Kuo-hsien (王國憲), a dermatologist at Taipei Medical University Hospital.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Medical University Hospital
Based on the suddenness and severity of the outbreak, the caterpillars must be moth larvae, Wang said.
The woman’s condition improved after taking antihistamine pills and applying topical steroids prescribed by the hospital.
Contrary to the popular belief that caterpillar dermatitis can only be caused by caterpillars crawling on bare skin, Wang said that as long as human skin comes into contact with the bristles of a caterpillar, it could cause rashes.
The skin’s allergic reaction to caterpillar bristles is not immediate, Wang said, adding that sometimes it can take up to two to three days for the effects to show.
The rashes are often seen on the shoulders, the back and arms, Wang said.
As the insect reproduces in the spring, the season usually sees a spike in the number of cases of caterpillar dermatitis, Wang said, advising the public to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants during outdoor activities.
“If someone comes into contact with caterpillar bristles outside, they should take a shower immediately after returning home,” Wang said.
People who come into direct contact with caterpillars should not swat them and instead remove them carefully, he said.
After the caterpillar is removed, they should wash the area with water, he said.
Should rashes develop, they can mitigate the itching by applying a cold compress or rubbing Mentholatum Ointment on the area before seeing a doctor, he said.
They should avoid scratching the affected area, as breaking the skin could lead to bacterial infections, Wang said.
The US-Japan joint statement released on Friday not mentioning the “one China” policy might be a sign that US President Donald Trump intends to decouple US-China relations from Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said. Following Trump’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, the US and Japan issued a joint statement where they reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Trump has not personally brought up the “one China” policy in more than a year, National Taiwan University Department of Political Science Associate Professor Chen Shih-min (陳世民)
‘NEVER!’ Taiwan FactCheck Center said it had only received donations from the Open Society Foundations, which supports nonprofits that promote democratic values Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) has never received any donation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a cofounder of the organization wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. The Taipei-based organization was established in 2018 by Taiwan Media Watch Foundation and the Association of Quality Journalism to monitor and verify news and information accuracy. It was officially registered as a foundation in 2021. National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a cofounder and chairman of TFC, was responding to online rumors that the TFC receives funding from the US government’s humanitarian assistance agency via the Open Society Foundations (OSF),
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would