The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday announced the nation’s first death from mpox in an unvaccinated man from northern Taiwan who had undiagnosed AIDS.
The man in his 30s began developing skin ulcers in August, but waited until Sept. 11 to seek treatment, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
By that time his immune response had already weakened severely and his entire body was covered in infected lesions, Lin said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Testing revealed that the man also had AIDS, which had previously gone undiagnosed, he said.
Despite receiving antiviral therapy and multiple surgeries, his immune response continued to weaken, Lin said, adding that his condition deteriorated on Oct. 22 before he passed away on Wednesday last week.
To date, 355 cases of mpox have been diagnosed in Taiwan, 338 of which were domestically transmitted and 17 imported, CDC data showed.
Of them, 343 have fully recovered, while 12 are convalescing at home.
A total of 108,860 mpox vaccines have been administered, with 39,558 people having received two doses and 29,744 having received one dose, data showed.
Vaccines are still available at 155 medical institutions nationwide, the CDC said, encouraging those at risk who remain unvaccinated to make an appointment.
The international mpox outbreak has continued, with the western Pacific and Southeast Asia seeing spikes starting from July, the CDC said.
There have also been signs of a resurgence in Europe starting in September, and cases continue to steadily climb in the Americas, it added.
Although most cases are mild, those with pre-existing conditions run the risk of developing severe symptoms such as sepsis and encephalitis that could lead to death, the CDC said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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