Pollen and erratic temperatures have led to a 40 percent increase in patients seeking relief from allergies, Taipei-based physician Tseng Chin-ming (曾敬閔) said.
Their symptoms include sneezing and a runny nose that occur after getting out of bed that are unaccompanied by other flu-like symptoms such as a sore throat or fever and are exacerbated by weather changes, said Tseng, a physician of thoracic medicine at Cheng Hsin General Hospital.
Allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis are common in infants, children and teenagers, because their incomplete immune systems are prone to irritation by allergens, Tseng said.
Airborne pollutants, dust mites and pollens are some of the most common allergens and dust mites are to blame for 90 percent of allergy cases in children, Tseng said.
Prolonged exposure to allergens can lead to chronic bronchitis and painful breathing and untreated allergies to airborne allergens can cause asthma or exacerbate pre-existing asthma, Tseng said.
Allergies are present in 70 percent of all Taiwanese with asthma, Tseng added.
People with allergies should avoid breeding dust mites at their residence by forgoing pets or using heavy curtains, while sheets, blankets and carpets should be laundered weekly, Tseng said.
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
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