Health and Science

Dengue fever epidemic shows signs of abating in Kaohsiung: CECC

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-29
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The dengue fever epidemic in Kaohsiung has shown signs of

Dengue epidemic subsides in K-town: CECC. Central News Agency

abating, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) revealed Sunday.

Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang pointed out that several programs to get dengue under control in the southern city were approved during Friday’s Dengue Outbreak meeting. First, a pilot program for cleaning of vector breeding sites in place of insecticide spraying in Kaohsiung was approved.

Secondly, it was announced that the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has launched a three-day outdoor vector breeding site clean-up program earlier this week, he said. [FULL STORY]

Dengue fever cases exceed 38,000, concentrated in southern Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/26
By: W.T. Chen, Y.H. Chang and Lillian Lin

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) The number of dengue fever cases reported since the start of May has totaled 38,067, with the majority of cases reported in southern Taiwan, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Thursday.

While Tainan is seeing an alleviation in the number of new cases, Kaohsiung is facing a rise in new cases, the CDC said.

Tainan was hardest-hit in the summer months and early autumn, with a total of 22,592 cases reported as of Wednesday.

Since early November, fewer new cases were reported there, with the number of new cases in a single day dropping to under 50 for 19 consecutive days. [FULL STORY]

CDC to hold drill simulating bioterror attack

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/24
By: Chen Wei-ting and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday that it

(CNA file photo)

will hold a drill to simulate a bioterror attack to examine Taiwan’s ability to respond to bioterrorism.

The drill, set to last 6.5 hours, will be part of a two-day workshop scheduled for Nov. 25-26 for members of the CDC’s biological response teams, the centers said.

Forty-three team members will participate in the drill, according to the CDC.

Chen Chang-hsun (陳昶勳), a CDC section chief, said the centers began to train bioterror response personnel in 2004, and officially established biological response teams in six regions in 2009. [FULL STORY]

Taiwanese team finds cause of ovarian cancer-induced gene mutations

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/20
By: H.F. Lee and Lillian Lin

Hualien, Nov. 20 (CNA) A medical research team in Taiwan has found that follicular fluid (FF) released from ovulation can cause genetic changes related to ovarian cancer, and that the cancer-causing substance originates from the fallopian tube fimbriae rather than the ovaries.

The research report on risk factors for ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) compiled by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital (花蓮慈濟醫院) has been published by the journal “Carcinogenesis: Integrative Cancer Research.”

Chu Tang-yuan(朱堂元), director of the hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said Friday that when released from ovulation, FF, which contains high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), can cause mutation of the umbrella end of the fallopian tube. [FULL STORY]

Dengue epidemic sees eight more deaths, toll hits 158 in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-18
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan has confirmed another eight deaths from hemorrhagic dengue fever,

8 more dead from dengue, toll hits 158. Central News Agency

bringing the total number of fatalities since May 1 to 158, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported Wednesday.

The confirmed deaths were in Kaohsiung, which recorded seven, and in Tainan, where there was one, the center said, adding that another 23 deaths are being examined to determine whether they were also caused by dengue fever.

The latest deaths involved five women and three men, aged between 62 and 96. Most of them were suffering from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure, and heart disease, and were therefore at higher risk, the center said.

As of Tuesday, Kaohsiung has seen 455 new cases of the mosquito-borne disease, an increase of 113 from last week, while the epidemic in Tainan continued to show signs of abating with 24 new cases. [FULL STORY]

Taiwan mentioned in climate change report for its readiness

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-14
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Central and Southern Taiwan were blanketed in haze on two consecutive days, Saturday,

Taiwan mentioned in climate change report for its readiness. Central News Agency

where Taichung, Nantou, Yunlin, Changhua, Chiayi, and Kaohsiung reported a “very unhealthy” PM2.5 in airborne pollutant reading (See note 1). The Central Weather Bureau gave out a warning about the air quality from Sunday to Wednesday next week and advised the public to take precautionary measures such as wearing a face mask or avoiding outdoor activities.

The bureau explained that the air quality in Northern Taiwan will turn better on the weekend as a new cold front is approaching along with a strong wind to disperse air pollutants. [FULL STORY]

Lai praises Executive Yuan for its assistance in dengue fight

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-12
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Tainan Mayor William Lai thanked the Executive Yuan for extending its assistance in helping

Lai praises EY for dengue assistance. c Central News Agency

the city combat dengue fever epidemic, reports said Thursday.

The mosquito-borne disease continued to show signs of abating in Tainan, Lai told Premier Mao Chi-kuo during a meeting at the Executive Yuan in the morning, where the former presented his report on the current status of dengue spread in Taiwan’s southern city.

“We hope the outbreak can soon come to an end,” he said.

As of Tuesday, the total number of dengue fever cases reported since the start of May has reached 32,390, with 22,243 in Tainan, 9,561 in Kaohsiung, and 185 in Pingtung.

Dengue fever cases in Kaohsiung remain high

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/12
By: Chen Wei-ting and Christie Chen

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) While the dengue fever outbreak has slowed in the southern city of Tainan, it has remained at its peak in the neighboring city of Kaohsiung, which saw 263 new cases on Wednesday alone, according to the latest statistics released by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Thursday.

The 263 new cases were an increase of 23 cases from the same day last week, bringing the total number of dengue fever cases in Kaohsiung to 9,824, according to the CECC.

In Tainan, 41 new cases were reported on Wednesday, down 13 cases from the same day last week. That brings the total number of cases in Tainan to 22,284, according to the statistics.

The 317 new cases reported nationwide on Wednesday means that the number of indigenous dengue cases in Taiwan has reached 32,707 since this summer, the CECC said. [FULL STORY]

Citrus-flavored Mountain Dew drinks ordered to be pulled from shelves

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/12
By: Lung Pei-ning and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) Health authorities on Thursday ordered the hypermarket chain

FDA official Wang Te-yuan.

RT-Mart to pull all citrus-flavored Mountain Dew soda drinks from its shelves, after an inspection found traces of a prohibited ingredient in the drinks.

Mountain Dew is a popular U.S. carbonated soft drink brand.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted an inspection of the citrus-flavored Mountain Dew drinks after receiving a report that such drinks imported by RT-Mart from the United States contain traces of brominated vegetable oil (BVO).

BVO is a food additive sometimes used to keep citrus flavoring from separating out in sodas and sports drinks. It is banned in Taiwan as a food additive, but is not in the U.S. [FULL STORY]

Estrogen-bearing cosmetics and shampoos to be banned in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-11
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Shampoos or cosmetics that contain three kinds of estrogen – estradiol, estrone and

Estrogen to be banned in Taiwan. Central News Agency

ethinylestradiol – will be banned in Taiwan effective July next year, reports said Tuesday.

Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital department of clinical toxicology director Yen Tsung-hai revealed that estrogen has recently been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as Grade I cancer-inducing agent.

“The public are advised to avoid the use of estrogen prior to the implementation of the new system,” he said.

The soon-to-be-imposed ban follows the footsteps of the European Union in which estrogen in cosmetics (including shampoo) has been found to cause endocrine disorders or cancer and environmental pollution, Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. [FULL STORY]

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