With the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) outbreak reaching alarming levels in China, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advised parents yesterday against traveling with their children to affected areas in China.
"If it is not necessary, we recommend that parents refrain from visiting areas affected by the epidemic -- especially Guangdong Province -- with young children. If they must, they should be extremely cautious," CDC Deputy Director Chou Chih-hao (周志浩 said.
In Guangdong Province alone, Chou said, the number of cases had already reached about 14,800, with seven reported deaths.
In China, a total of 25,000 infections have been reported, with at least 39 deaths, he said.
The epidemic is most serious in Guangdong, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.
In Taiwan, 19 new cases of HFMD were recorded last week, bringing the total of confirmed serious cases to 83 this year, with two deaths, Chou said.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
Drinking a lot of water or milk would not help a person who has ingested terbufos, a toxic chemical that has been identified as the likely cause of three deaths, a health expert said yesterday. An 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) and two others died this week after eating millet dumplings with snails that Tseng had made. Tseng died on Tuesday and others ate the leftovers when they went to her home to mourn her death that evening. Twelve people became ill after eating the dumplings following Tseng’s death. Their symptoms included vomiting and convulsions. Six were hospitalized, with two of them
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