Three Taiwanese entities have been approved as reference laboratories for aquatic diseases by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), putting them in a position to help other nations understand diseases and pandemics among aquatic species, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said last month.
Decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1), a pathogen that affects crustaceans and has caused enormous economic losses, has been reported in China, but while it published material that mentioned the virus, it did not notify the OIE, the bureau said.
However, Taiwan in 2020 notified the OIE — the first nation to do so — after DIV1 was found in the nation’s territorial waters, it said.
Taipei Times file photo
The virus had different mutation pathways and mortality rates among different species of shrimps, with white shrimp the most susceptible, having a mortality rate of 80 percent, National Institute for Animal Health Director Lin Yu-ju (林育如) said on Thursday last week.
The Australian red claw crayfish is mostly unaffected by DIV1, but can spread the disease, said Lin, whose institute was one of the three entities to be certified.
DIV1 has only been observed to spread among crustaceans and there is no reports of humans being affected, although crustaceans should be thoroughly cooked before being eaten, she said.
With certification as a reference lab, the institute would have more services to offer other nations, being able to provide means with which to detect DIV1, Lin said.
The lab could also provide virus specimens, allowing analysis at overseas facilities, she said.
The other two Taiwanese facilities certified as reference labs are studying white spot disease and early mortality syndrome in shrimp.
The OIE announcement shows that Taiwan’s aquatic studies are on a par with other international institutions, the bureau said.
It would continue to help Taiwanese academics apply for certification from the OIE and hopes to have more studies recognized by the international community, it said.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,
RSS