Since the beginning of the flu season in July last year, 107 people in Taiwan have died from flu-related illnesses, Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) told the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday.
Health officials said the number of people affected with seasonal influenza was expected to drop this month and next as temperatures climb.
Of those who died from the flu, more than 70 were infected with A(H1N1), commonly known as swine flu, the department said.
Photo: Chen Feng-li, Taipei Times
People above the age of 65 had the highest fatality rate from the flu, health officials said.
The department said people in the high-risk group, such as young children and the elderly, as well as people with chronic diseases, were more prone to develop complications and severe symptoms from the flu. People who fall into these categories are strongly advised to receive flu shots if they have not already done so.
“I recently surveyed hospitals in various parts of the country and found that numbers of emergency visits to the hospital [from flu-like symptoms] have dropped,” Chiu said.
However, the health minister said he would still instruct local health authorities to remain alert and avoid being complacent about flu conditions.
The department said a majority of those who died from flu had not been vaccinated against seasonal flu viruses, adding that receiving flu shots was the most effective measure against the disease.
The Centers for Disease Control said that according to the WHO, the next flu season is expected to be dominated by the A(H1N1) virus and other strains similar to those from this season.
Although people who have already been infected develop immunity within two to three weeks, they are nevertheless advised to rest and drink plenty of water to help rebuild their immune system.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,