Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/05/28
By: Chang Che-fon and Elaine Hou

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) A Taiwanese couple in the southern city of Kaohsiung had tested negative

from Wikipedia

for the mosquito-borne Zika virus during an initial examination, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Saturday, adding that a further test is needed to confirm whether they are infected.

The husband and wife were reported as suspected cases of Zika virus by a hospital in Kaohsiung earlier this week, the CDC said. The wife is 24-week pregnant, Kaohsiung health officials said.

They went to the hospital Thursday to seek medical treatment after they developed symptoms such as fevers, skin rashes and muscle pain, days after they returned on May 16 from a trip to the Pacific island countries of Fiji and the Solomon Islands, it added.

The couple had tested negative after an initial screening for Zika and an additional test will be conducted around June 4, the CDC said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/25
By: Chen Wei-ting and S.C. Chang

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) A four-year-old child who suddenly developed fever and rash when only

NTU Hospital. (CNA file photo)

two months old was confirmed a year later to have been hit with a rare autoinflammatory disease called cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), the first such case in Taiwan.

The child, whose disease was confirmed by genetic testing, was cured soon after the correct diagnosis was made, said Yang Yao-hsu (楊曜旭), a pediatrician at National Taiwan University Hospital.

The disease usually hits children, causing inflammation in organs, nervous system, and joints. In serious cases, a patient may suffer fever or chills, rash, joint pain, eye-redness, deafness and fatigue. If it worsens, it can be life-threatening.

Yang said the rare disease strikes about one in one million and because of its rarity, doctors often are not vigilant enough to detect it, leaving patients to seek diagnoses from one hospital department to another without getting a correct one.     [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2016/04/23
Translated and compiled by Shin-wei Chang

On April 11, Herbalife released a report on the lifestyle habits of full-time office workers in Asia-Pacific markets. It showed that 73% of Taiwanese office workers exercise less than once per week, the least among workers from other Asian countries.

Herbalife, a global nutrition company, conducted the research in March, gathering responses from 5,500 full-time workers about their lifestyle habits and attitudes in 11 Asia-Pacific markets. On average, 83% of workers exercise less than three times a week, and approximately 60% of them have physical activities less than 30 minutes at work.

In Taiwan, 73% of workers exercise less than once per week, compared to 66% in Hong Kong.

In addition, only 43% of Taiwan office workers are willing to develop a healthy, active lifestyle, the second lowest number among the 11 countries.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/21
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Romulo Huang

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) A total of 1,832 geese on a farm in Tainan, southern

Photo courtesy of the Tainan City Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office

Taiwan, were culled Thursday after an avian flu outbreak was confirmed there, the Tainan City Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office said.

The animal protection office said that it received a report on Tuesday of abnormal poultry deaths on a goose farm in in the city’s Gueiren district the previous day.

The farm was immediately quarantined and tests on tissue samples from the dead geese confirmed that they had been infected with the new H5 virus, which is highly pathogenic, the office said.

As a result, some 1,832 geese on the farm were culled, the office said, adding that it is supervising the cleaning and disinfection of the farm.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-01
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Chiayi County Government said Friday in response to the random killing of a four-

Those under grade one will be receiving home care visits from care workers twice a month, while those between grade two and five will be receiving more regular visits, the frequency of which will be depending on the severity of mental illness of each individual.

year-old girl in Taipei last week, that it will strengthen the region’s mental health care by making sure those with mental illness are getting medical treatment regularly and properly.

The county’s health bureau cited that there are currently 4,095 cases of mental health problems in the county, which were further categorized into five grades based on illness severity. Those under grade one will be receiving home care visits from care workers twice a month, while those between grade two and five will be receiving more regular visits, the frequency of which will depend on the severity of mental illness of each individual.

The bureau added that mental illness could be kept under control by getting proper medical treatment and taking medications regularly. To abruptly stop medication without talking to doctors first could lead to an unstable mental condition, the bureau said.

As those with mental illness are in need of special care and protection, providing more care to them and making sure they seek medical assistance routinely and systematically would be helpful in stabilizing their conditions, the bureau said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/21
By: Hsu Chih-wei and Y.F. Low

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) The results of a survey released Monday show that 25

(From the Child Welfare League Foundation website)

percent of children and teenagers in Taiwan do not eat well, possibly due to a lack of food education.

The survey was conducted by the Child Welfare League Foundation between Dec. 18, 2015 and Jan. 8, 2016 among 1,577 elementary and junior high school students.

It revealed that 25.2 percent of the respondents eat on a weekly basis foods that are unsuitable for long-term consumption by children.

While 68 percent drink sugary beverages at least once a week, 58.4 percent eat packaged snacks such as crackers and cookies at least once a week, according to the survey.

In addition, 43.5 percent eat pastries such as doughnuts at least once a week, and 34.6 percent eat sausages or hot dogs at least once a week.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/20
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Romulo Huang

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Chickens that were found to be infected with the

The slauterhouse in Kaohsiung’s Fongshan District. (CNA file photo)

avian influenza virus in a slaughterhouse in the southern city of Kaohsiung earlier this week have been destroyed, said on Saturday the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) under the Council of Agriculture.

The BAPHIQ said in a statement that it received a report on March 16 from a veterinarian working in the slaughterhouse who alleged that some chickens in the facility had probably been infected with the avian flu, and that it was confirmed on Friday the chickens in question were indeed infected with the highly pathogenic H5 subtype virus.

The 660 chickens in question had been in frozen storage in the slaughterhouse and were identified as being infected with the H5N2 and H5N8 strains of the avian flu virus, it said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-09
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan and Hainan both have populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is believed to be the main carrier of Zika, the article said.

Peter Piot, the virologist who co-discovered the Ebola virus, said in an interview that Taiwan and southern Chinese island province of Hainan are at risk of having locally transmitted cases of Zika virus, according to a New York Times article Wednesday.

Taiwan and Hainan both have populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is believed to be the main carrier of Zika, the article said.

While Hong Kong and the rest of southern China bear a different kind of mosquito, Aedes albopictus, the mosquito may also be able to carry Zika virus, but probably less efficient at transmitting it to people, said Dr. Piot.     [FULL  STORY]