The importance of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has outweighed that of the US-Iraq war in people's minds. SARS might appear terrifying, but the number of fatalities so far stands at only a few hundred. If those in power can respect professionalism, methods for diagnosing, curing and preventing SARS should be developed very quickly through international coopera-tion. At the moment, calming people's feelings is the most important thing. Creating panic among ourselves will only cause serious damage to the country.
SARS is caused by a new type of coronavirus, which rapidly sabotages the human body's immune system and starts to reproduce. It makes inroads right into the lungs. It is not yet known whether the virus is extremely destructive during reproduction, or whether the body's immune system reacts so drastically to it that it damages the internal organs, causing breathing failure and even death.
The SARS virus apparently changes very quickly -- six strains have been identified so far. We also know that the coronavirus cannot stand heat. The children who often come down with colds might be relatively less prone to SARS or might have lighter symptoms if they do get infected. We also know that only by staying in a closed room or having close contact with patients can one easily contract the disease. It means that it takes a large quantity of virus cells for one to get infected.
I therefore offer the following viewpoints.
First, according to the basic principle that organisms always seek to prolong their lives, we can believe that the SARS virus has no intention of killing its host because the virus cannot form an independent cell by itself and it must rely on the host cell for survival. It keeps mutating in order to lengthen its life. Therefore, we can reasonably believe that it will become milder and milder, allowing the host to stay alive to spread the virus.
Second, since the cause of SARS is coronavirus, the modes of transmission should be akin to those of the flu. The quantity of virus cells and one's natural immunity should be important factors in whether one will be infected.
In terms of prevention, engaging in more outdoor activities and staying away from SARS-affected patients is the best policy. Not going to high-risk areas and avoiding contact with patients is the second best method. If one must go to dangerous areas or come into contact with patients, one must wear masks and frequently wash one's hands.
Third, diagnosing and curing a disease early is the golden rule. Conducting a self-evaluation and seeking medical help as early as possible can save lives. The flu caused by another coronavirus does not cause a fever, which means the virus cannot stand heat. SARS patients have a fever because the mutated coronavirus triggers overly strong human immune reactions. We can reasonably deduce that immediate exposure to sunlight or a hot bath after being exposed to the SARS virus, or receiving fevertherapy when symptoms begin to appear, will achieve good results.
Fourth, to avoid infection, the government should encourage people to spend more time at home or outdoors. Use electronic communications more and reduce the number of gatherings. Use mass transportation systems less.
And fifth, humans normally can recover from a virus-induced disease. Patients should seek medical treatment to protect their lung tissue as early as possible.
In the long run, a standard remedy will appear. We even can expect the virus to become milder. People do not have to panic.
Chen Fu-min is director of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Taipei Chungshan Hospital and the hospital's chairman.
Translated by Jackie Lin
World leaders are preparing themselves for a second Donald Trump presidency. Some leaders know more or less where he stands: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy knows that a difficult negotiation process is about to be forced on his country, and the leaders of NATO countries would be well aware of being complacent about US military support with Trump in power. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely be feeling relief as the constraints placed on him by the US President Joe Biden administration would finally be released. However, for President William Lai (賴清德) the calculation is not simple. Trump has surrounded himself
US president-elect Donald Trump is to return to the White House in January, but his second term would surely be different from the first. His Cabinet would not include former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former US national security adviser John Bolton, both outspoken supporters of Taiwan. Trump is expected to implement a transactionalist approach to Taiwan, including measures such as demanding that Taiwan pay a high “protection fee” or requiring that Taiwan’s military spending amount to at least 10 percent of its GDP. However, if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) invades Taiwan, it is doubtful that Trump would dispatch
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has been dubbed Taiwan’s “sacred mountain.” In the past few years, it has invested in the construction of fabs in the US, Japan and Europe, and has long been a world-leading super enterprise — a source of pride for Taiwanese. However, many erroneous news reports, some part of cognitive warfare campaigns, have appeared online, intentionally spreading the false idea that TSMC is not really a Taiwanese company. It is true that TSMC depositary receipts can be purchased on the US securities market, and the proportion of foreign investment in the company is high. However, this reflects the
US president-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named US Representative Mike Waltz, a vocal supporter of arms sales to Taiwan who has called China an “existential threat,” as his national security advisor, and on Thursday named US Senator Marco Rubio, founding member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China — a global, cross-party alliance to address the challenges that China poses to the rules-based order — as his secretary of state. Trump’s appointments, including US Representative Elise Stefanik as US ambassador to the UN, who has been a strong supporter of Taiwan in the US Congress, and Robert Lighthizer as US trade
RSS