The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday announced this year's first fatal case of hepatitis A. The victim was a 30-year-old man who died four days after he was hospitalized.
So far this year, 82 new cases of hepatitis A have been reported, 47 affecting people under the age of 30.
"We strongly advise young people to pay particular attention to food sanitation when dining out," said CDC Deputy Director Lin Ting (
Lin said the man was sent to a hospital in southern Taiwan on March 11. He was reportedly unconscious by the time he was brought in. The local CDC was notified the next day of his case. The man died of liver and kidney failure on March 14.
Autopsy reports later confirmed the underlying cause of death was hepatitis A, Lin said, urging people, especially those who habitually eat out, to take extra precautionary measures to inspect the cleanliness of food in restaurants.
"In earlier years, hepatitis A was very prevalent in Taiwan. Most people above the age of 50 are carriers. However, the drastic improvement in water and food sanitation efforts by the government has greatly reduced the transmission of the disease," Lin said.
But the high rate of infection this year so far, he said, has become an alarming cause of worry for the government.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The symptoms include jaundice, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever.
It is usually spread from person to person by contact with the stool of a person infected with hepatitis A. According to CDC statistics, only 42 new cases of hepatitis A infection were reported at this time last year. The numbers for the previous four years were 57, 62, 49 and 45.
The sharp increase this year, especially among people under the age of 30, shows that young people are more prone to the disease.
The young people's lack of antibodies and their habit of eating out, coupled with increasing tourism to and from Southeast Asia and China have all contributed to the recent hike, he said.
A hepatitis A vaccine is available in Taiwan. Those who are interested in getting boosters should contact their local health authority. The cost for adults is approximately NT$1,500 to NT$2,000 for each dosage and NT$1,000 for children. People must receive dosages to gain the maximum protection against the infectious disease.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about