Advocates from Taiwan Women’s Link yesterday urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare not to appeal a court ruling awarding compensation to a girl who reported experiencing an adverse reaction after receiving a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Taiwan Women’s Link secretary-general Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said her organization had received reports from more than 30 women who said they experienced pain and other symptoms following the vaccination, and 25 of them were between the ages of 11 and 16.
“Of these, 12 were subsequently diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis and related symptoms... They have requested financial assistance from the ministry, and most have filed suits regarding their conditions,” Huang told a news conference in the legislature in Taipei.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
A plaintiff identified only as “Nicole” filed a suit against the ministry saying she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after receiving an HPV vaccine, Huang said.
A court ruled in her favor last month after two-and-a-half-years of hearings, she said.
However, the ministry in the coming days could launching an appeal, as it had in other cases, Huang said, urging it not to.
One of the first cases concerning adverse reactions to an HPV vaccination was filed by a girl identified as “Bella” in 2007, she said.
The court in 2019 ruled in favor of Bella, but the ministry appealed, she said.
“The Taipei High Administrative Court overturned the first ruling, sending it back for a retrial, and the case is still pending today,” she said.
In another suit, a girl identified as “Sharon” said that she developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after receiving an HPV vaccine, but lost her first ruling in 2020, which she appealed, Huang said.
“Mina,” who also said she had developed rheumatoid arthritis after receiving a vaccine, filed for appeal after losing in a first ruling earlier this year, she added.
Huang said that the teenagers in these cases were in good health until they received HPV vaccines, after which they developed “painful conditions,” and have still received no answers.
They are experiencing long-term physical pain and mental trauma, while they await court rulings, she said.
“We’d like to ask the ministry not to file an appeal against these victims and not to fight against our own citizens,” she said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
RSS