The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said the number of cases of influenza was still rising slightly last week, with the majority of clustered cases coming from elementary schools.
The number of people reported with mild flu rose by 6 percent on a weekly basis, and most of the cases were of influenza A virus subtype H3N2, the centers’ statistics showed, although cases of influenza B also increased.
“A total of 19 clusters of flu-like cases were reported last week and 14 of them were on school campuses, with the majority at elementary schools,” CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
Eleven of the clusters were confirmed to be caused by influenza, Chuang said.
Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said nine cases of serious flu complications and one flu-linked death were confirmed last week, while a total of 430 serious flu complications and 60 flu-related deaths have been confirmed this season.
CDC physician Huang Hsin-yi (黃馨頤) said the youngest patient with serious complications last week was a nine-year-old girl in northern Taiwan, who was vaccinated in January.
The death last week was that of an 89-year-old man in southern Taiwan with chronic liver and cardiovascular disease who did not get a flu shot this season.
The centers’ data showed that 93 percent of the H3N2 subtype viruses circulating in communities match with the types in the vaccine administered this season, but flu viruses can change rapidly, so people should still take precautionary measures, Chuang said.
“People with flu-like symptoms should practice good hygiene, take sick leave, go see a doctor and rest,” he said.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe