Health and Science

Filipino workers at I-Mei Foods Company in Taiwan ask their government to lift travel ban

Concerns expressed that Philippines' travel restrictions on Taiwan may prevent some from complying with contracts

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/13
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A copy of the letter signed by more than 400 Filipino workers of a Taiwanese company appealing for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to lift the travel ban on Taiwan. (ABS-CBN News photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 400 Filipino workers of I-Mei Foods Company have petitioned the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to lift the travel ban on Taiwan, reported Filipino media outlet ABS-CBN News on Thursday (Feb. 13).

In the letter, the Filipino workers are asking their government to allow its nationals to come to Taiwan, especially those who have existing contracts, according to the news outlet. They express their concern that the Philippines' travel restrictions on Taiwan may prevent some of them from complying with their contracts, as many are currently home for vacation.

The news outlet cited Jack Cheng, a senior I-Mei adviser, as saying that I-Mei only hires Filipino workers and has no other foreign employees; therefore, the travel ban would have a massive effect on the company. The problem would be felt especially in the area of new hires.

"If Filipinos cannot come to Taiwan, it's going to cause problems not only for I-MEI Foods, but for many other companies here in Taiwan," he was cited as saying.    [FULL  STORY]

VIDEO: Doctor says curbing the spread of COVID-19 a challenge

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 13 February, 2020
By: Paula Chao

Leading Taiwanese doctor Lee Bing-ying says curbing the spread of COVID-19 is a challenge because of the large number of asymptomatic carriers of the virus that causes the disease.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has already killed over 1,300 and infected more than 60,300, mostly in China.

Dr. Lee Bing-ying of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan says the difficulty in containing COVID-19 stems from the fact that it is similar to the flu. Lee says while the death rate among those in critical condition is relatively high, a fairly large number of people carrying the virus responsible for the disease have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News sticks with term ‘Wuhan virus’ until WHO admits Taiwan, Beijing comes clean

Changing name of virus will confuse people and make botched handling of pandemic in China worse

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/13
By: David Spencer, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

Pixabay

KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) — There is only one word to describe the official response to the novel coronavirus outbreak that continues to rampage through Communist China and spread slowly but surely to other countries around the globe — shambolic.

We should expect little more from the Chinese communist dictatorship. The very nature of the communist system in China means that anyone who threatens to rock the boat by suggesting that something has gone wrong is quickly stamped down on to ensure stability.

That is why, when Li Wenliang (李文亮), the 34-year old doctor from Wuhan, raised concerns about the emergence of a SARS-like virus in the city as early as December he was detained and taken to the local public security bureau and accused of “spreading false rumors.” He was only released after promising not to share his concerns publicly and was warned he would be “brought to justice” if he did.

That a state should react in this way to a medical professional raising legitimate concerns would be shocking and a huge scandal in any other country. In Communist China, this is the norm.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan government extends requisitioning of masks, ban on exports

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/13/2020
By: Ku Chuan, Yeh Su-ping and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) The Taiwan government said Thursday that it will continue to requisition all domestically produced surgical masks and maintain its ban on their export until the end of April.

The ban on the export of disposable surgical masks was imposed Jan. 24 and was due to end Feb. 23, while the government requisitioning of the product was scheduled from Jan. 31 to Feb. 15, as part of the efforts to ensure a steady domestic supply amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

On Thursday, however, Vice Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花) told reporters that the government's requisitioning of surgical masks and ban on their export will continue until the end of April.

If the coronavirus situation improves, those measures may be lifted earlier, she added.
[FULL  STORY]

WATCH: Taiwan Insider, Feb 13, 2020

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 13 February, 2020
By: Paula Chao

[When faced with a global outbreak of a deadly virus, who do you turn to?]

[When faced with a global outbreak of a deadly virus, who do you turn to?][/caption]

In today’s Taiwan Insider, we tell you who WE trust, and debunk some of the most common myths about the new coronavirus, now known as COVID-19. Also, China’s top epidemiologist has released an unpublished study that sheds light on what the coronavirus patients have in common. We’ll bring you details in Taiwan Explained.    [FULL  STORY]

Flu vaccines not in short supply

NO SHORTAGE: In response to reports of a shortage of flu vaccines, the health and welfare minister said that there were more than 2 million vaccines still available

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 12, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The nation still has more than 2 million doses of government-funded flu vaccines and shortages at some medical centers might be due to logistical issues, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday, rejecting media reports that flu vaccines were running low.

Local Chinese-language media on Tuesday reported that some public health centers and hospitals had announced that they did not have enough vaccines on the second day of phase two of the government-funded seasonal flu vaccination program.

The government is this year distributing the vaccines in three phases, beginning with elementary and high-school students and medical practitioners on Nov. 15, followed by the second phase, which started on Sunday, for preschoolers and people aged 65 and older.

Out of the 3.165 million doses of government-funded vaccines that have been dispatched to local health departments, only about 1.138 million have been used, leaving about 2.027 million available, and there has not been a shortage of vaccines, Chen said when asked for comment at the Legislative Yuan.    [FULL  STORY]

Ministry considers installing more AEDs

SAFETY PREPARATIONS: A health official said the ministry was mulling installing additional AEDs in public places, such as temples, schools and community centers

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 02, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is considering installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs)

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is seen in Taipei yesterday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is considering installing more AEDs at public places around Taiwan.
Photo: CNA

at more public places, including temples, to reduce fatalities from sudden cardiac arrest, a senior health official said.

The ministry was investigating the feasibility of expanding the current installation of AEDs to more public spaces, such as popular temples, community centers and junior-high and elementary schools, Department of Medical Affairs Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said.

AEDs are already installed in public venues, including transportation hubs, tourist attractions, high schools, universities, assembly sites, leisure areas that attract at least 3,000 people a day, large shopping malls, hotels and hot spring areas, Shih said.

The review came after the death on Wednesday of Canadian-Taiwanese actor and model Godfrey Gao (高以翔) in China.    [FULL  STORY]

IKEA travel mugs in Taiwan found to contain dangerous plasticizer levels

TROLIGTVIS  travel mugs imported from India to be returned or destroyed

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/26
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TROLIGTVIS travel mug. (IKEA website photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A type of travel mug imported from India by IKEA has been found to contain extremely high plasticizer levels, according to Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Results from a border inspection indicate that the TROLIGTVIS insulated travel mugs distributed by the renowned European furniture and home accessories group contain 1.6 ppm of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a compound commonly used as a plasticizer, reported Liberty Times.

Taiwan has put a cap of 0.3 ppm on the chemical, which means the DBP levels detected in the product have exceeded five times the permitted level. Barred from entry, the mugs will be returned or destroyed, said the report.

Yen Tsung-hai (顏宗海), director of the Clinical Toxicology Center at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that a human weighing 60 kilograms should not consume more than 0.6 milligrams of DBP a day. Excessive consumption of the plasticizer could be detrimental to the endocrine system as well as adversely affect the reproductive system, wrote MSN News.    [FULL  STORY]

Diseases added to autonomy law

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 24, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Eleven rare diseases are to be added to the medical conditions covered by the Patient Right to Autonomy Act (病人自主權利法), the ministry announced on Friday last week.

The act, which went into effect on Jan. 6 and is the first of its kind in Asia, gives people the right to decide in advance what medical treatment or healthcare option they will accept if they are terminally ill, are in an irreversible coma or a permanent vegetative state, have advanced dementia or meet other conditions announced by authorities.

Such patients are entitled to terminate life-sustaining treatment, as well as artificial nutrition.

As part of the act’s implementation and after a series of meetings with experts over the past year, the ministry has named 11 rare diseases — multiple system atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, hereditary epidermolysis bullosa, Huntington disease, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, nemaline myopathy, spinocerebellar ataxia, spinal muscular atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and primary pulmonary hypertension — as conditions that are unbearable or incurable.
[FULL  STORY]