The Central Epidemics Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed another three cases of Tamiflu-resistant A(H1N1) influenza, but said that the virus had not spread.
“The most important thing is that all these patients have fully recovered,” said Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), deputy minister for the Department of Health.
Chang said that the three patients included a five-year-old girl and a two-year-old girl in Taipei and a 12-year-old girl in Taichung. Physicians could not confirm whether the three girls were infected by Tamiflu-resistant virus or if the virus went through a mutation process in them.
The deputy minister said that there have been a total of 55 instances of Tamiflu-resistant A(H1N1) in the world and five of them had occurred in Taiwan.
“We have yet to consider potential changes in our Tamiflu policy at the moment,” Chang said.
SOLDIERS
Meanwhile, the military said that approximately 4,000 doses of swine flu vaccine, which will be delivered in the near future, will be given to soldiers who have helped or are helping victims of Typhoon Morakot with reconstruction.
“These soldiers will be the priority, followed by military health workers,” said Lin Yao-hsiang (林曜祥), deputy director of the Military Medical Bureau’s Medical Affairs Department.
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Pilots, sailors and military personnel who work in an interior environment will be next in line for shots after military health workers.
Military personnel under the age of 18 will be the fourth priority, followed by soldiers aged up to 24 years old, and then those aged between 25 and 49. Those older than 50 will be the last priority group for the vaccine.
ROLE MODEL
Lin made his remarks during a press conference at the Ministry of National Defense yesterday morning, when he was awarded and recognized as a healthcare role model.
“We are expecting the swine flu vaccines to be delivered to us no later than tomorrow,” he said. “Once we receive the vaccines, we will put them to use immediately.”
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese