The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday warned travelers to China and Hong Kong about an outbreak of scarlet fever, which has infected thousands of people and was expected to continue to spread over the summer.
The CDC said that as of yesterday, there have been 21,269 reported cases of scarlet fever in China this year, about 3.6 times as many as the same period last year. There were 9,308 new cases last month, or 4.1 times as many as the 2,269 cases reported a year ago.
Hong Kong has reported 466 cases this year, with two deaths — a seven-year-old girl last month and a five-year-old boy on Tuesday. Macau has reported 49 cases.
The CDC said the number of reported cases of scarlet fever in the region is two to three times the normal range and the number of cases so far in the outbreak is greater than the annual number reported over the past 10 years.
Health officials said travelers to Hong Kong, Macau and China should wash their hands frequently and avoid visiting places with little or no fresh air.
Those who have been diagnosed with scarlet fever and received medical treatment should avoid going to public places such as schools or workplaces until 24 hours after the fever has subsided, they said.
Scarlet fever symptoms include a bright red rash, fever, sore throat and a “strawberry-colored” tongue. The disease mainly affects children between the ages of two and eight. Symptoms usually subside within 48 hours with treatment of appropriate antibiotics.
However, the new strain has about 60 percent resistance to antibiotics used to treat it, compared with 10 percent to 30 percent in previous strains, Yuen Kwok-yung, head of Hong Kong University’s microbiology department, said yesterday in Hong Kong.
Certain characteristics of the new strain likely make it more easily transmitted, he said.
Additional reporting by AFP and AP
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation