Caterpillar hairs blown by a northeast monsoon are causing skin rashes in Penghu County, doctors said on Thursday.
Lee Chih-hung (李志宏) of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said that when doctors met to discuss an outbreak of rashes on Tuesday, 15 out of 21 patients had skin lesions, with the earliest case occurring on Friday last week.
The patients do not have the kind of small prickly rashes commonly associated with insect bites, or patches of rashes that develop from allergies, Lee said.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
After Penghu County Department of Health Director Hsiao Ching-jung (蕭靜蓉) said there had been an increase in Taiwan yellow tussock moth larvae, doctors determined that the conditions were caused by caterpillar hairs carried by the wind.
While caterpillar hair was not found on the patients, it could have already been blown away after causing a reaction, Lee said, adding that large quantities of caterpillar hair throughout Penghu County could cause rashes.
Chang Chung-hsing (張中興), a physician at Tri-Service General Hospital’s Penghu branch, concurred, adding that the rashes occurred mostly in areas not covered by clothing.
People with the rashes can run a small, gentle stream of water over the affected area to alleviate discomfort, or place a cold compress over it, he said.
Ointment could help the area heal faster, he said, adding that for patients with a rash over a large area of skin, doctors should consider prescribing antihistamines.
The department said it asked city and township branches to monitor the situation, and issued warnings to communities and schools that people should wear long-sleeve clothing to cover as much skin as possible.
Additional reporting by Wang Chin-yi and Chiu Chih-jou
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by