The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday announced it would categorize insect repellents with diethyltoluamide (DEET) content of less than 15 percent as over-the-counter drugs, which means they can be sold at stores other than pharmacies.
As the weather heats up and mosquitoes become more active, the risk of mosquito-borne diseases — such as dengue fever, Zika fever and chikungunya — tend to rise significantly.
In a bid to prevent the spread of such diseases, especially dengue fever, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said insect repellent with less than 15 percent DEET could be sold online, at convenience stores, grocery stores and other outlets.
Previously, such repellents were categorized as instruction drugs, meaning that although a doctor’s prescription was not required, they could only be purchased at pharmacies.
The FDA has licensed five insect repellents containing less than 15 percent DEET, it said.
People should carefully read package inserts before spraying the repellents on skin or clothes, keeping a distance of 10cm to 15cm, while parents should spray repellents on their hands and then rub it on their children, the FDA said, adding that such products should not be used on children less than six months old.
In other news, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said imported dengue cases have increased in the past month, with the majority of cases from Vietnam and Malaysia.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said dengue fever outbreaks are gradually increasing in Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and also South American countries, such as Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Guatemala.
The agency said that people visiting countries where dengue fever is spreading should take mosquito prevention measures, such as wearing light-colored, long-sleeved clothes, applying insect repellent, and staying in buildings with screen windows.
As afternoon thunderstorms often occur in Taiwan at this time of year, the CDC urged people to remove standing water after rain to reduce mosquito breeding sites and seek medical attention if they experience a fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, or muscle or joint pain.
In related news, the CDC said the number of people with flu-like symptoms reached 127,521 last week, an increase of 6.8 percent from a week earlier, indicating that the flu season is still at its peak.
People should maintain personal hygiene to prevent flu infection, it said.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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