Lien Jih-ching (連日清), an entomologist and public health expert who helped in the effort to have the WHO in 1965 declare Taiwan to be “malaria free,” died on Wednesday.
He was 96.
Born in Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area, Lien’s connection with mosquito studies began at age 15 when he worked part-time at the Tropical Medicine Research Institute at what was at the time Taihoku Imperial University, now National Taiwan University.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Lien worked for Omori Nanzaburo, a Japanese entomologist, helping him to develop prevention strategies and treatments for dengue fever.
During a dengue fever outbreak in Taiwan in 1942, an estimated 5 million out of Taiwan’s population of 8 million at the time caught the disease, Lien among them.
He later said that the experience had inspired him to become an expert in mosquitoes and other insects.
Lien led a team that researched malaria prevention strategies to eradicate the disease in Taiwan.
After the WHO declaration, Lien turned his focus to dengue fever and continued to study mosquitoes, the primary vector of both diseases.
Lien is credited with the first documentation of 1 percent of all mosquito species in the world.
Tsai Kun-hsien (蔡坤憲), a professor at the National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health who worked with Lien on several overseas medical entomology missions, yesterday said that Lien never shied from his work even after contracting scrub typhus.
Even in his 80s, Lien led missions to Sao Tome and Principe, which was a diplomatic ally of Taiwan at the time, to help eradicate malaria there and train local public health personnel.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) yesterday expressed his condolences to Lien’s family.
Chen lauded Lien’s contributions to entomology, public health and medicine.
The council would ask President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to present an order of praise and commendation to honor Lien’s contribution to Taiwan and the world, Chen said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS