People should not share personal hygiene items and should disinfect themselves after coming into contact with public items, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Nantou Hospital said yesterday, citing the case of a man who was found to have a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in his right ear canal.
The 70-year-old man, surnamed Huang (黃), complained of hearing loss and itchiness in the ear, as if there was a build-up of wax, Department of Otolaryngology physician Wu Chao-kuan (吳詔寬) said.
Huang told Wu that no matter how much he tried, he could not remedy the condition, adding that he also had bleeding in the ear.
Upon inspection, Wu said that the ear canal was infected with HPV.
Huang would visit a local barber to get his beard trimmed and ear wax removed, Wu said.
The barber could be using non-disposable tools that have not been properly disinfected, causing the infection of Huang’s ear canal, Wu said.
Since the infected area was removed via microsurgery, hearing in that ear has started to return, Wu added.
HPV is usually transmitted by physical contact, with the mouth and genitalia the most commonly affected areas, he said.
People who do not realize that they have an infection can spread it by touching their ears and nose, he said.
HPV infections are easily ignored, as there are usually no detectable symptoms in the early stages, hospital dean Hung Hung-chang (洪弘昌) said.
Most people become aware of an infection only after it affects their living quality, Hung said.
If the symptoms are not treated immediately, an infection can lead to cancer, he said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS