Four confirmed cases of legionnaires’ disease among newborns this year — the first in a decade — were caused by water contamination, with experts urging healthcare facilities to regularly clean and disinfect water tanks, pipes, faucets and drinking machines to prevent an outbreak.
The cases were the first time the nation had seen infections cased by the Legionella bacteria in infants in more than a decade, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The infections were reported between February and last month, with the infants experiencing fever, shortness of breath and loss of appetite within six to 10 days of birth, he said.
Photo: CNA
Water and environment samples taken from the infant care centers tested positive for Legionella bacteria, he said.
These included bottle-washing areas and pipelines for drinking machines and faucets, he added.
Four other infants who had stayed at the facilities were tracked down, but they did not exhibit symptoms of Legionella infection, he added.
The facilities have since replaced all machines and cleaned their pipelines and environment, he said.
As of Wednesday, a total of 334 cases of legionnaires’ disease had been confirmed this year, of which 326 were local and eight were imported, CDC statistics showed.
Among the local cases, 75 percent, or 243, were men, while 92 percent, or 299, were at least 50 years old, the data showed.
Tri-Service General Hospital doctor Chang Feng-yi (張峰義) said that Legionella are commonly found in natural or artificial water sources, adding that the bacteria does not have a record of spreading from person to person.
However, people who are older, heavy smokers, have chronic illnesses and have weak immune systems are at a higher risk of contracting legionnaires’ disease, Chang said.
The disease is less commonly seen in infants, Chang said, adding that most cases are due to an infant being born in water or having come into contact with contaminated water.
As the symptoms of legionnaires’ disease are similar to pneumonia, Chang advised doctors to consider it as a possible cause when treating infants who have pneumonia-like symptoms.
Chang also said that drinking water should be boiled, and when making infant formula, all containers should be disinfected.
Formula should be made with water that has been boiled and left to cool, but should not be below 70°C, he said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS